Keith Tkachuk is elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame after a long wait following the end of his NHL career. Multiple reports say the announcement comes shortly after a family milestone involving his sons. Less than 24 hours after Brady Tkachuk is traded from Ottawa to Florida to join his older brother, Matthew, both brothers become teammates with the Panthers. Tkachuk, nicknamed “Walt,” receives the Hall of Fame call on Monday after more than a decade and a half since retiring.
The election places him among a player class that includes center Patrice Bergeron, who won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011 and captured the Selke Trophy six times, as well as goaltenders Carey Price of Montreal and Pekka Rinne of Nashville. One outlet also notes a brief delay in telling his family after he received the call. While the timing is closely tied to his sons’ NHL pairing, the reports focus primarily on Tkachuk’s recognition as a major player from his era, describing him as a leading power forward during the 1990s and 2000s.
