Tkachuk joins The Pat McAfee Show

FORT LAUDERDALE – The Florida Panthers are everywhere these days.

Fresh off eliminating the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk joined The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN to talk all things puck on Wednesday.

While the show often welcomes superstars from all over the sports world, McAfee, a former All-Pro NFL punter and current commentator for College Gameday and WWE, was fired up to chat with Tkachuk.

“One of the toughest dudes to ever lace up the skates,” said McAfee as he introduced Tkachuk, who called in after practice from Baptist Health IcePlex. “Last year we saw him, literally with a broken sternum we think, a broken spine we think, broken femur we think, broken hand we think, broken shoulders we think, fractured skull we think, get taped up, pads put on him, lifted on the ice and pushed out to play hockey, and he wanted to. That is why hockey is awesome. That is why hockey is different.”

Still in amazement of Tkachuk’s toughness to play with a broken sternum during last year’s Stanley Cup Final, McAfee and his energetic band of co-hosts started the show talking about playing through pain.

“In the Stanley Cup Playoffs all bets are off and you do whatever you can to play,” said Tkachuk.

Coming from a notoriously tough family with a famous last name known throughout the hockey world, Tkachuk credited both his dad, Keith, and brother, Brady, for helping him get to where he is today.

“He was fired up to see us beat Tampa the other day,” Tkachuk said of his dad, who played over 1,200 games in the NHL. “Growing up having him as a voice, as a role model, my brother and I were not forced to play hockey, but we had everything around us to help us grow into it and love the game. We had him around every day to ask about anything, help coach us, teach us, but I’d say the biggest thing that allowed my brother and I to make it to this level was each other. Having that unbelievably close relationship, being each other’s best friends, biggest supporters, and competitors as well.”

With many athletes starting to specialize and narrow their focus to just one single sport at an early age, especially hockey players, McAfee was intrigued by Tkachuk’s road to the NHL.

“One thing that I’m super grateful that my parents did, and my mom deserves so much credit because she was mainly the one getting up at 5 a.m. to take us to the 6 a.m. practices while my dad was on the road, was that we were never allowed to play hockey 24/7, 365 days like some of these kids do now,” said Tkachuk. “My parents were all about playing every sport you can. I think that’s what allowed me to not get burnt out and my love for the game kept growing and growing more.”

Not afraid to stir the pot -- one of the many reasons his show dominant the mid-day slot -- McAfee asked about the series with Tampa Bay and the two goalie interference calls against the Lightning in Game 5.

“When did you guys learn how to cheat like how you did against Tampa Bay with the goaltender inference? Do you guys have full practices with that or how does it work?” asked McAfee, tongue in cheek.

“Don’t touch Bob (Sergei Bobrovsky) and there won’t be any problems,” responded Tkachuk with a laugh.

After making quick work of their cross-state rival in Round 1, the Panthers are enjoying a well-deserved break as they wait to find out if they’ll face either the Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 2.

And even though rest is usually at a premium in the playoffs, Tkachuk would always rather be playing.

“We are really excited to get a few days of rest and get rejuvenated, but it’s the playoffs and you just want to be out there playing,” said Tkachuk. “Some of the best parts of playoffs are just hanging out with the boys in the lounges on the road and watching other games throughout the league.”

With three first-round matchups still ongoing, Tkachuk spoke on how hard it is to close things out.

“The fourth game in a playoff series is always the hardest to win because no matter what you are in the series, the other team is so desperate playing for their lives you have to find a way to match that or exceed that,” said Tkachuk.

Something that can help with closing out a series is playing in front of a home crowd.

“It’s a tough question because last year in playoffs are team was lights out on the road and it didn’t matter where we played,” said Tkachuk. “When playing in Florida, we have such great fans and the building is so loud, I think home ice is important for us, having the extra potential game seven at home, you always want to have that at home. I think our fans are so loud and we’ve made this rink here in Florida a tough place to play, so I think home ice is important for our team, it’s an extra layer you can add to the series. I think we have great fans, so it’s important for us.”

A regular on the show, former NFL defensive back and Coral Springs native Darius Butler shouted out the fans and atmosphere at Amerant Bank Arena.

“It’s different down there,” said Butler. “All the rats getting thrown out there, they get rowdy.”

Among the recent sellout crowds at Amerant Bank Arena, Miami Dolphins Jalen Ramsey and Jaylen Waddle have come out to support and hype up the crowd with the banging of the pre-game drum.

Knowing Waddle was there, Tkachuk told the show he was planning on a big goal celebration in salute of the fellow local superstar.

“If I scored I was going to do the ‘Waddle’ because he was there,” said Tkachuk. “He’s my favorite football player.”

While it didn’t happen that game, McAfee called for Tkachuk to bring in the dance celebration next time he lights the lamp. Fans can watch the full interview on McAfee’s YouTube by clicking here.

To potentially see Tkachuk break out the “Waddle” in Round 2, click here for playoff tickets.