Tkachuk family bonds at NHL All-Star Weekend

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Matthew Tkachuk was named the MVP of the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Saturday, but the biggest star of the family the past few days may have been his grandmother.

Geraldine Tkachuk, known to the family as "Gerry," was part of the entourage of dozens of family and friends who came from all over North America to congregate in South Florida to watch Matthew and his younger brother compete in the festivities. It was, in the words of Matthew, a forward with the Florida Panthers, "chaos."
That didn't stop his 75-year-old grandmother from participating in the family events including a boisterous gathering at a famed Fort Lauderdale Beach watering hole called the Elbo Room Thursday evening.
All in the family.
"She wasn't going to be left behind," Brady,
a forward with the Ottawa Senators
, said. "She's always there. She wants to experience all those special moments with her family.
"You know, she and the entire family have done so much for us, and just to share these special moments with her, with them, was amazing."
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There was no shortage of special moments for the Tkachuk family, to be sure.
Matthew thrilled the home crowd in the final with a goal and an assist for the Atlantic Division in a 7-5 win against the Central Division at FLA Live Arena. This was after the 25-year-old had three goals and two assists in a 10-6 victory against the Metropolitan Division in the semifinal.
When Matthew completed his five-point performance against Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and their teammates, his father, Keith Tkachuk, could be seen pounding his heart in admiration of the performance of both his sons.
The 50-year-old proud poppa had an illustrious 19-year career in the NHL (1991-2010), with 1,065 points (538 goals, 527 assists) in 1,201 games for the Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes and Atlanta Thrashers. He said last week that the All-Star Game would be a special occasion because it would be the first time the boys had ever played together on the same team, let alone the same line, in minor hockey, basement mini-stick hockey, any kind of hockey.

So, when Brady and Matthew, playing on a line with Panthers captain Alexsander Barkov, combined for a goal in the first minute against the Metropolitan Division, the cameras began capturing a series of shots of Dad, his mom Chantal and the entire Tkachuk clan in a private suite.
"You'd look up at the scoreboard and they'd keep showing them and what a great time they were having, and that's what it's all about," Matthew said. "But I do think with everything that's gone on the past few days, we were running out of gas a bit the second half of the final game."
Keith, Chantal and a number of family members stayed at Matthew's residence the past few days. Brady, however, stayed in a hotel.
"Decided it would be easier to sleep there," the 23-year-old said. "Personal preference."
Or was it? According to Matthew, Brady didn't get an invite.
"There are way too many people already staying with me," Matthew said. "But we have pretty much been spending 24 hours a day together."
Dating back to their childhood days, Chantal instilled a rule that exists to this day for the boys: No physical fighting with each other, an edict that lasted well into their respective NHL careers.
"Hey, there was some blood spilled sometimes in the heat of competition, but that was her rule," Brady said.
"That's why this was so different. To be able to play with your brother like this for the first time, with all your friends and family watching, instead of competing against him, it was special."

So was meeting Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier, who spoke with the brothers for at least 20 minutes at the Elbo Room on Thursday.
"It was great to talk to him," Brady said. "You don't get chances to do something like that throughout the year."
Messier's message?
"He said just have fun and enjoy your career," Brady said. "And me being the captain in Ottawa and him being one of the great captains of all-time, he said it's important to lead by example.
"It was really cool."
Just like the entire All-Star experience was for Geraldine and the rest of the Tkachuk family.