Matthew Tkachuk has broken his silence on his battle with injuries that he had to overcome in order to help his team, the Florida Panthers win their second Stanley Cup title on the trot.
What did Matthew Tkachuk reveal about his injuries?
The Florida Panthers are the Stanley Cup champions once again as they secured their second straight title with a 5-1 thumping over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 on Tuesday night in front of their home crowd.
The Florida Panthers became the third team in the century to win back-to-back championships. With achieving this feat, they see themselves among the NHL's modern day dynasties. Following the Game 6 heroics, Tkachuk opened up about his pain and frustration that he went through during the playoffs.
I tore my adductor off the bone and had some hernia thing on the same side. Wanted to throw in the towel bunch of times, Tkachuk revealed.
I'm sure, I got to thank lot of people made me healthy enough, I wasn't easiest to deal with. ... on days where I probably wasn't in the best mood, coming to the rink, trainers, I wasn't in the best mood, I just owe them so much.
Matthew Tkachuk thanked the trainer, doctors and support staff for helping him overcome his injury issues. He even admitted that there were times when he felt like giving up but credited the medical staff for getting him back healthy to compete in the playoffs.
When the postseason started, Tkachuk started feeling healthy. He has finished the playoffs with 15 assists and 23 points in the 23 games that he has played.
Matthew Tkachuk gets emotional
Matthew Tkachuk was not alone in Game 6 as he had his family members in the attendance. His father Keith, mother, Chantal Oster and brother, Brady were all present for Game 6 in Florida.
When asked about having his family there to support him, Tkachuk responded,
I wouldn’t be here without them, great support system at home here and then, my parent, by brother and my sister, I wouldn’t be here without them, Tkachuk said.
It's so emotional, because this is a dream, you have a childhood dream to win a Stanley Cup and do this back to back times, going to three straight final win two them, I mean we are dynasty.
Reflecting on the past few years, Tkachuk says that it's still difficult to believe how things panned out. Not just this, he even considers his move to the Florida Panthers as one of the most incredible turns in his career.