{"id":79650,"date":"2025-08-13T13:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T13:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/79650\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T13:00:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T13:00:11","slug":"can-matthew-and-brady-tkachuk-become-hockeys-answer-to-the-kelce-brothers-maybe-one-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/79650\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Matthew and Brady Tkachuk become hockey\u2019s answer to the Kelce brothers? \u2018Maybe one day\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a few months since the Tkachuk brothers last faced any physical microphones, but they\u2019ve already sat for three interviews on this August afternoon when they join their final Zoom call of the day. Brady, 25, appears to be at a computer in a home office, while Matthew, 27, holds a phone from a living room couch. As the conversation begins, the elder Tkachuk cautions that neither are in peak media shape.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re rusty, we haven\u2019t done it in a few months,\u201d Matthew says. \u201cSo, (we) could only handle four today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brothers soon find their gear. They are laid-back, yet still excited about the mini-junket\u2019s pretext: Matthew, a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion with the Florida Panthers, has landed on the standard cover of \u201cEA Sports NHL 26,\u201d the newest release of the most famous hockey video game ever. Joining him in a family photo on the front of an early-access \u201cDeluxe Edition\u201d are both Brady, the Ottawa Senators\u2019 captain, and their father, former NHLer Keith Tkachuk.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think our 10-year-old selves would be losing their minds seeing that we\u2019re on a cover of the NHL game that we loved playing growing up,\u201d Brady says.<\/p>\n

In a sport that sometimes shies away from promoting individual personalities, Matthew and Brady are quickly cementing themselves as two of hockey\u2019s preeminent showmen. The \u201cNHL 26\u201d covers are only the latest examples.<\/p>\n

In 2023, they play-fought in a car backseat \u2014 in full hockey gear, no less<\/a> \u2014 for a Hyundai commercial. Last year, Matthew starred on the first season of Prime Video\u2019s \u201cFaceoff: Inside the NHL,\u201d offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life with the Tkachuk family. This fall, Brady will join him for a second season of the show that, in part, covers Team USA\u2019s round-robin matchup against Canada at February\u2019s 4 Nations Face-Off, during which both Tkachuks now-famously dropped their gloves as three fights broke out in the first nine seconds.<\/p>\n

Despite losing to Canada in the championship game, the brothers capitalized on the post-tournament buzz with several major media hits. Matthew joined \u201cThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,\u201d and Brady appeared on podcasts like \u201cSpittin\u2019 Chiclets\u201d and \u201cPardon My Take.\u201d The duo then served as co-guests on the wildly popular \u201cNew Heights\u201d podcast<\/a> hosted by NFL brothers Travis and Jason Kelce, whose YouTube simulcasts have accumulated nearly 1 billion views.<\/p>\n

As the Tkachuks establish a more mainstream presence, it\u2019s natural to draw comparisons to the media-savvy Kelce brothers. Matthew revealed that he and Brady have even been presented with \u201copportunities where we could\u2019ve had our own\u201d podcast together, leading him to ask Travis and Jason about the production process.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gotten a little bit of advice via the podcast route,\u201d Matthew says. \u201c(But) it\u2019s way too early to know if we\u2019re going to do it or not. \u2026 It\u2019s different for them now because one of them isn\u2019t playing anymore. Compared to Brady and I would do it with (us) both playing. So, there\u2019s a lot of stuff to juggle around there.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut maybe one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brady Tkachuk, left, celebrates with Matthew Tkachuk after the Panthers clinched the Cup in June against Edmonton. (Eliot J. Schechter\/NHLI via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Of course, the Tkachuks won\u2019t win over everyone. Whether it\u2019s Brady slamming defensemen into the end boards for an on-the-rise Senators team, or Matthew mucking around the net front as the Panthers build a potential dynasty, both possess on-ice styles that rub opposing players and fan bases alike the wrong way. And their international notoriety will surely grow at next year\u2019s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, with NHL players set to participate for the first time since 2014.<\/p>\n

Not all of their off-ice opportunities will earn universal acclaim, either: Recently Matthew was named to President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cCouncil on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition\u201d alongside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, among others. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley declined an invitation despite being initially listed in a White House release<\/a>, while Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has also expressed confusion at his inclusion. Matthew, for his part, says it\u2019s \u201ca little too early\u201d to confirm his participation on the council, declining further comment to The Athletic.<\/p>\n

Regardless, the Tkachuks\u2019 willingness to put themselves out there and desire to reach wider audiences are noteworthy for hockey players \u2014 particularly in the U.S., where the NFL and NBA rule.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to tell a player that\u2019s not comfortable doing (more media),\u201d Matthew said. \u201cIf they just treat it as a job, like a clock-in and clock-out and just want to worry about that, hey, all to you. If that helps you play. Some guys are like that. Every team has guys like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that if more guys could do (more), I think the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tkachuks also see their recent surge in appearances as an opportunity to grow the game and be \u201cgood role models\u201d for \u201cthe next generation of kids,\u201d Brady says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think any exposure you get that can grow the game is very important to us,\u201d Matthew adds. \u201cWe want to be guys that leave the game in a way better place than it was when we started. Just the way the world\u2019s kind of trending, the opportunities for players are pretty seamless and easy for Brady and I. Whereas maybe other guys, they\u2019re not as comfortable as we are in it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe enjoy it. We think it\u2019s important to do. Hockey is not a job to us. It\u2019s never felt like a job for us. It\u2019s fun, it\u2019s life, it\u2019s what we\u2019ve grown up in.\u201d<\/p>\n

A legacy on full display.
Matthew, Brady, and Keith Tkachuk grace the #NHL26<\/a> Deluxe Edition cover.
Pre-order to get 7-day early access. https:\/\/t.co\/Vh9fVAH87P<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3ruyNhw2dZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) August 6, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

No matter where the Tkachuks go from here, on the ice and off, their paths are forever linked. It has been that way since they were kids and had way more free time to play the \u201cEA Sports NHL\u201d video games. They used to spend hours competing on Xbox at home in the St. Louis area, with Brady often getting the better of his older brother. \u201cWe loved playing when we turned penalties off,\u201d Matthew says. \u201cIt was so fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, when young gamers look at the newest version, they will see an image of Matthew hoisting his second straight Stanley Cup with the Panthers in June \u2014 or, in the case of the early-access edition, one of him flanked by Brady and Keith.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it kind of just captures everything that I wanted in my NHL career, in two covers,\u201d Matthew says. \u201cI have the standard cover where it shows my dream coming true with the Stanley Cup, and the picture is just, everything about it, is so special to me. I still pinch myself. I can\u2019t believe it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut then I look at the deluxe cover, and that might be more important to me, being in the middle of my brother and my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Top photo of Matthew and Brady Tkachuk: AP Photo \/ Charles Krupa)<\/p>\n