While the Calgary Flames have been off to a great start this season, so have Matthew Tkachuk and Blake Coleman. Both players are on incredibly strong lines on this team, and they have been just a part of the reason for why Calgary has looked so dominant overall this season. Despite playing a relatively strong game, the Flames lost to the Jets with a score of 4–2. Following the game, Tkachuk and Coleman stopped by on After Hours. Here are some of the things they shared.
Tkachuk’s thoughts on the Eichel trade rumor
I’m sure we all remember when the Flames were “rumoured” to be offering this ridiculous package for Eichel in the beginning of November.
Yeah, I think we all knew how ridiculous this was. Well, so did Tkachuk. Tkachuk joked to Scott saying “I know there is a reason you are asking me”, then calling it “BS” seconds later. He knew this rumour was fake as soon as he heard about it, stating he, and anyone with “any intelligence with this sport” saw right through this rumour. Although the rumour wasn’t true, Tkachuk let it be known that he was very happy it didn’t happen, and that Calgary has been extremely special to him since he was a rookie. Safe to say that he wasn’t fazed at all.
Tkachuk and his between the legs goals
I think I have lost count how many times he has scored a between the legs goal throughout his career, but we all know this is his trademark. Despite the many times he has done this, Tkachuk said he doesn’t really practice the goal at all right now. However he did practice it when he was younger (while getting yelled at by his dad Keith Tkachuk). Once he converted his first one, Tkachuk said that Keith “zipped his mouth” right after.
Tkachuk on Darryl Sutter
Tkachuk is the first to admit last year was a down year for him. The season was tough to adjust to because of the COVID-19 health measures, he was playing lower minutes, and there was a midseason coaching change. However, this year has been quite the turnaround. Tkachuk credited this to being put in a spot that he is comfortable in and that he wants to be in.
Even while putting up great offensive numbers, Tkachuk’s line has been excellent defensively too, as they didn’t allow a goal against 5v5 up until their game against Chicago on November 23. Tkachuk jokingly stated that everyone was telling him the stat that they haven’t allowed a goal before the game against Chicago because they wanted to jinx it.
Stuck with the Tkachuks
HNIC showed some highlights from Sportsnet’s Stuck with the Tkachuks segments that were uploaded online when the league shutdown. Matthew made it very clear instantly that Brady didn’t beat him in every sport, later telling Scott Oake that he just picked the worst highlights to show to make Brady look good. At the end of the day, he was glad that both him and Brady were able to give people something to smile about during such tough times.
Tkachuk’s thoughts on Lemeiux biting Brady
Honestly, I am just going to put his quote from the interview here because I don’t think there is any way to recap the magic that came out of his mouth here.
Does Tkachuk want to stay in Calgary?
Tkachuk’s deal expires this year, and there is a little uncertainty among fans about what his future will be. Tkachuk was asked about this, but I think Flames fans will like what he said. “I absolutely love it here,” Tkachuk said right off the bat. Tkachuk stated that Calgary has been his second home ever since he was drafted. He stated that he loves the lifestyle here, has been so involved with the community, and always has a smile going into the rink everyday. Something that I found very interesting is that he said this year has been the happiest he has ever been here. Watch the clip below to see his full response.
Taryn Tkachuk, Missouri state field hockey champion
The Tkachuks got to watch Taryn (Matthew’s sister) score the overtime winner to become win the Missouri State Championship about a year ago. Matthew stated that she is the best athlete in the family. Later he joked that it was a good thing he was the one getting asked about this because “Brady was a little blitzed” after the tailgate.
Taryn is now playing at the University of Virginia on a scholarship, which Matthew stated was her goal from the beginning. Despite starting to play in eighth grade, Matthew stated that ever since she was in ninth grade, she has been the best player in Missouri. It’s pretty easy to see that she truly is the best athlete in the family.
Lessons learned from Keith Tkachuk
Growing up, generosity was the main thing that was instilled in Matthew Tkachuk when a child. Matthew mentioned that Keith would do things like take care of the locker room guys and bring them back to the hotel for meals. While trying to follow his footsteps, Matthew stated it would be tough to beat what he has done. To this day, Keith apparently still does similar things when he is at the rink with Matthew and Brady. He made it very clear how lucky he is to have a dad like that.
Blake Coleman choosing to sign in Calgary
Blake Coleman grew up a diehard Dallas Stars fan, and last summer, they along with Calgary and New Jersey were interested in signing Coleman as a free agent. Coleman described the option of playing for Dallas as appealing, yet the pieces didn’t quite fit. Although he played for New Jersey prior to winning two cups in Tampa Bay, Coleman stated that he chose Calgary because he was looking for a new experience, and to join a team that had pieces to go deep in the playoffs. He also stated that he sees similarities with Texas and Calgary, referring to the good people in each place. At the end of the day, he said that it just felt right.
Coleman’s Family and Halloween costume
Coleman, along with his wife, Jordan and his two kids rocked a Coleman Camping costume this year. Coleman stated that his wife thought of the Coleman cooler idea and that his shorts had to be cut up because they did not fit his quads. Seeing as his quads look bigger than my whole body in the picture, this is very understandable.
Coleman dancing like nobody is watching
During the interview, After Hours showed some of Blake Coleman’s wedding dance to “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and honestly, it was pretty impressive. Though looking a little embarrassed during the interview, Coleman stated that he was probably more nervous performing the dance than playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. He ended the interview saying that he hopes his daughters get Jordan’s dancing genes and not his.
The love for Calgary
Watching Tkachuk and Coleman on After Hours was so enjoyable. Tkachuk has always been a treat to watch when interviewed, and it was really interesting to learn more about Coleman not only as a player, but as a person overall. One thing that was made incredibly clear in this interview, both Tkachuk and Coleman love it here, and that’s music to everyone’s ears.
