Matthew Tkachuk is maybe the most unique National Hockey League star, the rare combination of skill, brawn, personality, combustion, and leadership. From simmonssteve: Can the Maple Leafs stop Matthew Tkachuk?
And off the ice, just as valuable.it’s his personality that shocked the hell out of me.”
The job for the Maple Leafs now, doing something the Boston Bruins couldn’t do: Finding a way to either stop Tkachuk or at least slow him down. The question is: How?Article content “The first week he’s here, he takes the trainers out,” said Maurice, who then referenced how he treats other members in the Panthers family, bus drivers, and flight attendants, and then he went on to talk about Tkachuk’s father. “He looks like a kid who grew up in the game.”Article content
There is, of course, in all of this a Maple Leafs connection, because frankly, there always seems to be a Maple Leafs connection. Matthew Tkachuk played minor hockey in Arizona both with and against Auston Matthews. The two later played together on a U.S. development team coached by Don Granato. After that, Tkachuk went to London for his one year of junior hockey, coached by the legendary Dale Hunter. It was just the graduate degree he needed to move on to the NHL.
Tkachuk is eighth in penalty minutes in that time. His younger brother is third. Most of the players around the Tkachuks are designated fighters or those who take up space at the bottom of NHL lineups.Article content
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