All Tkachuk could do was watch. Because for the final 23:22 of regulation and the entire 8:18 of overtime of their 3-2 loss to Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game on Thursday, the Florida Panthers and Team USA forward, Matthew Tkachuk could not leave the bench because of an undisclosed injury. And the younger Tkachuk, Brady? He gave his all. The United States players skated off the ice slowly, in some cases gingerly, as Canada’s players embraced and celebrated. For Matthew, “Fear not, Tkachuk is here” morphed into “he’s not here”.

It was #19, Matthew Tkachuk, who had dragged the Americans into the fray every night of the tournament. The elder Tkachuk was the emotional spark, setting the tone from the first drop of the puck against United States’ 3-1 win against Canada on Feb. 15 in Montreal, when he squared off with Brandon Hagel. He played just 6:47 on Thursday. Still, Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan stood by his decision to dress Tkachuk, who’d already sat out Monday’s 3-1 loss to Sweden. Sullivan said, “He’s all heart. He’s a heart-and-soul guy.” That grit earned the brothers a tribute from Canadian legend Mike Johnson.

Mike Johnson, a former NHL standout turned analyst, had seen enough to know what the Tkachuks meant to this tournament. “Yeah, I mean, when they take a step back they’ll probably think, we played it really well, we did a lot of great things, we showed we were every bit as good as anybody in this tournament,” Johnson said. “But in the end, they’ll be disappointed because they had it. They had it several times on their stick, and for whatever reason, it just didn’t happen for them, to get that one over the goal line and win it.” It was the cold reality of a game decided by inches, where the difference between gold and silver was a Connor McDavid shot in overtime. Yet for Johnson, the legacy of the Tkachuks wasn’t about a single play—it was about what they represented.

“When I think about this tournament,” Johnson continued. “I think back to the American team, it will feel like this tournament was the Tkachuk show, both Brady and Matthew and how they sort of symbolized the attitude and the energy and the confidence that Team USA was going to play with in this tournament.” He wasn’t wrong. The Tkachuks didn’t just play—they set the team’s pulse. Brady, the young and fiery left winger, knotted the championship game at 1-1 with a goal that screamed defiance—a refusal to fold in a contest that demanded everything.

Even when Matthew Tkachuk couldn’t physically contribute, his mere presence was enough to make a difference. Johnson saw that same intangible quality, the thing that made the Tkachuks so magnetic. “They’re the guys you want to follow, they’re the guys you’re willing to let them lead you, because they will take you places that you’re trying to go,” he said. It wasn’t just about their skill—it was about their will. The way they carried themselves, the way they embodied the never-back-down mentality that has long been associated with American hockey. And in the end, that’s what made their performance so memorable, even in a losing effort.

“And I think one of the real stories of this final game was the fact that the injuries sort of caught up to the United States,” Johnson concluded. “Brady was fantastic, lots of hits. He scored a goal, but Matthew could barely play, could barely skate. But that’s what my takeaway is, those two guys sort of symbolically representing the States and all the good things about the way that the States play hockey and the way this tournament was played.” The Tkachuks didn’t lift the trophy, but they left their fingerprints all over this tournament.

Matthew Tkachuk doesn’t sit even if it’s a “broken sternum”. So how bad was it?

If Matthew Tkachuk isn’t suiting up, you know something is very wrong. His younger brother, Brady, made that much clear when asked about Matthew’s absence, admitting he wasn’t sure about the exact injury but knew it had to be serious. “He usually battles through anything,” Brady said. “But I think it’s got to be really serious for him not to be able to go because he’s such a warrior.”

And he’s not exaggerating. This is the same guy who played in Game 4 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final with a broken sternum—a literal cracked chest—and still found a way to be effective. Eventually, his body just wouldn’t let him push through for Game 5, but that’s the level of toughness we’re talking about.

For the Florida Panthers, the timing of this injury is less than ideal. Tkachuk has been a force, ranking second on the team with 22 goals, 35 assists, and 57 points. Since arriving in Florida before the 2022-23 season, he’s only missed 10 regular-season games—a testament to his durability.