The NHL’s best-on-best international contest drops the puck on February 12 as Canada takes on Sweden, with the USA doing likewise against Finland on Feb. 13. Ahead of the highly-anticipated tournament, American star Matthew Tkachuk issued a stern reminder to his teammates, as well as a powerful message to the opponents.
Team USA doesn’t have any shortage of firepower and superstars on its roster. Playing along the likes of Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, Adam Fox, and brother Brady Tkachuk, Matthew is still one of the biggest household names in the star-studded roster.
Coach Mike Sullivan has seen the potential of his lineup during the opening practices before the debut against Finland on Thursday. And it’s safe to say there’s tons to be excited about for fans of the Stars and Stripes.
While putting together such a stacked roster has its perks, and the locker room could easily spiral out of control with so many superstars, Tkachuk has made something clear about the team’s mentality and their camaraderie. In a bold comment, Tkachuk made sure to reassure Sullivan on his decision, while also sending shivers down the spine of every team in the tournament.
“It goes back to the buy-in. There’s no egos in that locker room,” Tkachuk stated during a press conference, via DailyFaceoff. “There’s no worrying about yourself first, you’re playing for something so much bigger than that. The buy-in is noticeably high, I think that’s what’s going to help separate us.”
Don’t put all your Tkachuks in one basket
Although the Tkachuk brothers openly admitted they wished to play together during the Four Nations Face-Off, Sullivan has opted to separate the duo into separate lines and units, at least during the debut against Suomi.
Matthew will play on the wing on Team USA’s first line along Eichel and Kyle Connor, while Brady will do the same, but on the third line with J.T. Miller and Matt Boldy. The two brothers won’t play together in the power play unit, either. Matthew will play on the first man-advantage unit, while his younger sibling will be on the second unit.
Jack Hughes on brother Quinn missing the tournament to injury
Although the Tkachuk brothers may not get to share the ice while representing the United States during the Four Nations, at least they will enjoy each other’s presence in the locker room and will probably sit together on the bus. Unfortunately for Jack Hughes, his brother Quinn won’t be able to make him company.
After sustaining an undisclosed injury, Quinn Hughes missed out on the Canucks’ last games prior to the two-week break and won’t be suiting up for the red-white-and-blue during the upcoming contest.
“It was definitely something I was looking forward to, but it’s hockey at the end of the day, people get injured all the time,” Jack Hughes admitted, via CanucksArmy. “I was looking forward to spending time with him, but it’s all good. It’s frustrating, but if you’re injured, you’re injured. We’re both going to play a long time. At some time we’ll play. Hopefully Olympics next year we’ll get it done.”