On the eighth floor of 狐狸视频 Children鈥檚 Hospital on Thursday morning, nine-year-old Joe Williams ambled toward Matthew Tkachuk. They bumped fists, and then the attention shifted to the black-cloaked table to Williams鈥 right.
Williams was about to meet Lord Stanley 鈥 the Stanley Cup.
鈥淚t鈥檚 huuuuuge,鈥 Williams said. 鈥淚t is so humongous.鈥
鈥淛oe, this trophy might be bigger than you,鈥 Tkachuk responded.
鈥淚t definitely is,鈥 Williams said.
Tkachuk and Williams hugged the 35-pound, almost 3-foot tall trophy before Tkachuk hoisted it over Williams鈥 head.
Tkachuk, who is the son of Blues legend Keith Tkachuk and grew up in 狐狸视频, won the Cup last month as a member of the Florida Panthers. On Wednesday and Thursday, Tkachuk brought it back to his hometown, as is customary for members of the winning team as part of their offseason celebrations.
People are also reading…
Tkachuk brought it to restaurants like Grassi鈥檚, O鈥橞 Clarks, and Sportsman's Park. He brought it to his elementary school Villa Duchesne and high school Chaminade. He also went to the Brentwood Police and Fire Departments on Thursday.
But Children鈥檚 Hospital was the first stop of the day.
鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 all about their smile,鈥 Tkachuk said. 鈥淭hey go through stuff that I could never even imagine. Their spirits and their reactions, their smile is what it鈥檚 all about. Absolutely priceless. This trophy here is a very magical thing and it does that to people.
鈥淭o me, that鈥檚 the most important thing is seeing how happy they are, even if it鈥檚 just for a couple minutes of their day when they鈥檙e having tough days just to remember this or see the pictures of it.鈥
For more than an hour, Tkachuk greeted, chatted and posed with patients and their families, one by one.
He pointed out where the 2019 Blues were engraved on the Cup, and then where Tkachuk鈥檚 name now sits with the 2024 Panthers. He told kids fun facts, like how 鈥淚slanders鈥 is misspelled as 鈥淚landers鈥 for their 1980-81 championship. He handed out autographed photos of the first time he lifted the Stanley Cup after a Game 7 win over the Edmonton Oilers.
Of course, Tkachuk looked a little bit different than the clean-shaven appearance he was sporting Thursday.
鈥淵ou have a big beard here,鈥 multiple children told Tkachuk, who then explained the hockey tradition of growing out facial hair during the entirety of the postseason.
Twelve-year-old Abigail Young of O鈥橣allon, Illinois, brought a special guest to meet Tkachuk: her doll named Elle.
鈥淚 was thinking if Elle could sit on the top,鈥 Young asked.
鈥淓lle could definitely sit on the top,鈥 Tkachuk said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 give Elle a big kiss on the Stanley Cup. Some of the greatest players ever have got to kiss this. Isn鈥檛 it amazing?鈥
Tkachuk, 26, just finished his second season with the Panthers after he was traded to Florida from Calgary in the summer of 2022. In his first season with the Panthers, Tkachuk finished third in voting for the Hart Trophy, given to the most valuable player in the NHL, as Florida lost to Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final.
In the playoffs this year, Tkachuk tied for the team lead with 22 points as he helped the Panthers win their first championship in franchise history.
Tkachuk won the Cup with former Blues Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola, and became the second Chaminade athlete to win a championship after Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics won the NBA title.
鈥淲hen I found out the support for myself during the Stanley Cup (Final) and during the playoffs with the Blues being out and everybody from 狐狸视频 jumping on and supporting me and my team, that meant so much to me,鈥 Tkachuk said. 鈥淚鈥檝e dreamt of this day my entire life, being able to bring the Cup back to 狐狸视频, celebrating it with everybody that鈥檚 gotten me to where I am right now. This has been an incredible, incredible time and something that I鈥檒l remember forever.鈥
It is the second straight summer that the Cup has returned to 狐狸视频, as former Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo brought it to the area last year after his Golden Knights won the Cup.
Tkachuk said he was greeted unexpectedly in the morning when the keepers of the Cup (who travel around with the Cup) left the trophy on his front porch.
鈥淭hey rang the doorbell and I thought it was going to be them, and they rang it, ding-dong ditched me a little bit and it was just the Cup waiting there,鈥 Tkachuk said. 鈥淚 was like 鈥榃ow, good to see you, too. Good morning.鈥欌
In the aftermath of the Panthers鈥 victory, Tkachuk was a steady presence around the trophy, and even took it into the Atlantic Ocean, at the suggestion of his brother Brady: 鈥淢y brother was like 鈥楾he ocean is right there, why don鈥檛 you just go take it in there right now?鈥 I鈥檓 like 鈥楾hat鈥檚 a great idea, we鈥檒l go do that.鈥欌
Tkachuk said he did not know that wasn鈥檛 allowed, 鈥淚 promise you.鈥
鈥淲e had nobody with us to say 鈥楳atthew, don鈥檛 be an idiot and don鈥檛 do that,鈥欌 Tkachuk said. 鈥淚 thought it was fitting. If I had known I wasn鈥檛 supposed to do it, I wouldn鈥檛 have done it. Also, I think it鈥檚 pretty funny.鈥
After Thursday night, the Cup will depart 狐狸视频, the place where Tkachuk said is 鈥渟uch a special place and I鈥檒l always come back here.鈥
鈥淎ll the qualities not just as a hockey player, but as a person have all been brought up as a 狐狸视频 person,鈥 Tkachuk said. 鈥淨ualities of a Midwest kid have really been established in me since a very young age. I was born in Arizona, but I grew up in 狐狸视频. All my roots and everything have all been brought up from 狐狸视频.鈥