He is back. On Saturday, Dec. 27, Matthew Tkachuk had to watch his team being outmatched. Literally! Not-so-friendly neighbors from Tampa and Sunrise exchanged “presents”, recording 136 penalty minutes. The Lightning earned 87 of them and won 4-2. A quiet emotional meeting took place at Amerant Bank Arena right after a mini-Christmas break.
The National Hockey League tried to stay game-focused by requesting both teams “to behave” ahead of the big Saturday night. It wasn’t as perfect as the first two meetings this season. But at the same time, it wasn’t as bad as the last pre-season matchup between the Florida rivals, when they collected 322 penalty minutes, 13 game misconducts, some suspensions, and fines. Yet, Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers and Scott Sabourin of the Tampa Bay Lightning will have to cut their holiday shopping expenses after being fined by the league for high-sticking ($5,000) and slashing ($2,018), respectively.
Matthew Tkachuk, the NHL king of intimidation, had to witness it all and take no part. He definitely misses it, especially in challenging situations against the Lightning players. Can we ever forget his brutal sparring with Brandon Hagel at the 2025 Four Nations’ tournament?
No matter how much Chucky wanted to be back with the Panthers, any professional athlete takes precautionary measures during recovery. Tkachuk took it slow. He started working out and skating on his own. He had some help from the team’s skills coach, Max Ivanov.
The next day, after the third part of the Battle of Florida, Tkachuk joined his team on the ice at Baptist Health IcePlex for the first time since June 2025. It was the news of the day. Is he in a hurry to make it to the 2026 NHL Winter Classic in Miami? Perhaps. But he wouldn’t jeopardize his health and future knowing that another major historical competition is coming - the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Matthew Tkachuk will share some thoughts with his brother and listeners on a new "Wingmen" podcast episode.
The Panthers teammates and Paul Maurice were happy to have their stigmatic leader back on the ice.
"He looked good out there. He is stick-handling well. It’s good to have him."Carter Verhaeghe
The news of Matthew Tkachuk’s return overshadowed another significant moment. While the Miami Winter Classic site undergoes final touch-ups, Evan Rodrigues and his kids tested the ice at LoanDepot Park.
The New Year is so close. With all positive vibes and news unfolding, it looks like the back-to-back champions are going to catch a break after a rough start to the season. Cheers to the 2026 adventures and milestones!