ST. LOUIS – Sitting comfortably in the living room in which they’ve hosted hundreds from around the hockey world, Keith and Chantal Tkachuk smiled when asked where the karaoke machine is.
“It’s downstairs,” beamed Chantal of a sizable speaker that glows when plugged in next to a bar surrounded by family hockey memorabilia.
“We’ve had some late Christmas Eves with that thing,” said Keith of a family tradition that gave rise to Brady’s side hustle as a pub singer.
“I only do it because I’ve had a few drinks.”
The man the hockey world tagged long ago as Big Walt is known for having a good time, opening his family home for endless socials Chantal is delighted to host.
“We used to always do karaoke at team parties back when he played,” she said, smiling.
“We hosted one party at my parent’s house with karaoke going until 4 a.m.”
Turning to Keith, she deadpaned:
“You were singing me love songs.”
Cue more laughter, as Keith inserted a quick denial.
It is an attitude and household like theirs in suburban St. Louis that has produced one of the league’s most colourful players off the ice, and one of the most entertaining players on it.
“I assume Brady is the off-ice one and Matthew is the on-ice one?” said Keith, laughing.
Brady’s infectious personality has been on display via several renditions of "Mr. Brightside" posted online by fans thrilled to see him letting loose in local establishments.
The toolkit Matthew has used to become one of the more polarizing and prolific 100-point scorers includes an innate ability to agitate while dazzling with memorable, between-the-leg finishes.
In a league full of beige, both engaging, natural leaders stand out.
Brady, captain of the Ottawa Senators, became a folk hero in Calgary last spring with his double-fisted celebrations in support of his brother’s playoff run.
Matthew, an alternate captain for the Florida Panthers, single-handedly resurrected the Battle of Alberta with a series of hits on Zack Kassian he punctuated with, “If he doesn’t want to get hit, then stay off the tracks.”
And the hits just keep on coming, from both.
“They’re not boring like a lot of guys in the NHL, tell ya that much,” said Keith, who was one of the more personable players of his era.
“I think it’s good they have a personality. It’s good for them, it’s good for the league, good for the team and it’s good for you guys.
“You don’t want to talk to boring guys with programmed answers.”
Keith said he remembered watching Matthew on the After Hours segment on Hockey Night in Canada as a rookie, conducting the whole interview with his head down.
“I said, ‘What are you doing? Get your head up and talk,’” said Keith.
“But now it’s like this (as he snaps his fingers).
“I watched Matthew interviewed last night and he was pretty good. He adds some normal stuff to it that people like. It’s not about the same answers. He does a good job.
“I think it’s being around the locker room for a long time, being comfortable.”
Both Tkachuks are armed with tremendous confidence, no doubt cultivated while growing up at their father’s knee in NHL dressing rooms.
They’ve honed their interview skills under the glare of demanding Canadian hockey markets where all eyes are on their every move, and they know it.
Yet, they continue letting their personalities shine though.
Brady certainly does that well with a microphone in his hand, belting out The Killers’ anthem like he did just a few weeks ago when a fan posted him performing with teammates.
“The good news is every time he does it, he’s with his fiancée, so it’s not like he’s out by himself,” said Keith.
“If you were in Phoenix or New York no one would care, or know you. But you’re in Canada, so I just told him, you’ve got to be careful.
“It’s not like he’s being a goofball, idiot, drunk. He’s not like that. He just turned 23 years old, but he thinks like a 16-year-old.
“He just likes to have fun.”
Sure, it’s all good fun like he’s had for years in his parents' basement with friends and family.
“He has a contagious personality – he always has a smile on his face, seems to be in a good mood and is fun to be around,” said Mom, sharing her theory on why his song is the Killers’ classic.
“I think that’s just a popular college song – a fun song that the kids go crazy over.
“You notice whenever they play it in an arena, everybody sings along to it. I don’t know how he adopted it, but after college it just became his song, and any time it comes on at a wedding or wherever it is, he’s front-and-centre.”
Where both like to be.
Draft parties, grad parties, Christmas parties, you name it, the Tkachuks want to ensure everyone is included, as they value the importance not only of teammates bonding, but the spouses as well.
“One of the best parties was an Easter party we had one of the last years Keith played – we had the whole team over and we got this huge Easter bunny costume and Matthew got into it,” said Chantal, who Keith calls Julie McCoy, the cruise director from Love Boat.
“Matthew was about 12 and he just nailed it, holding the kids’ hands.
“All the moms were oohing and ahhing over how great an Easter bunny he was.
“Honest to god, I still get random texts from moms who said, 'That was just the best.'”
On Sunday, the Senators training staff was treated to an evening at the Tkachuk house, as Brady’s team was in St. Louis for a Monday game.
“They like the wine cellar and the scotch,” said a smiling Keith, who taught both his sons to revere their team’s support staff.
“I know what it felt like to be a young guy and not having anywhere to go, so I think it’s important to have that open-door policy.”
That policy extended to the family basement, where current Blues star Robert Thomas lived his first two years in the league before renting Matthew’s St. Louis home this fall.
Keith has three TVs mounted in the basement so he can watch Thomas and both of his sons at the same time. After games, Keith would take on a fatherly role with Thomas and wait up for him to get home to share thoughts on his performance.
“Even guys I’ve brought home from the team for dinners, everyone is treated like family there – it’s a pretty special place,” said Thomas, who admits he’s had a few turns on the karaoke machine before Brady takes over.
“There’s no doubt each of them got a little side of Big Walt, and their daughter Taryn’s got a great personality too – there’s no shortage in that family.”
Broadcaster Darren Pang said you feel welcome and a sense of energy when you walk into the Tkachuk home, where the parents are such great role models and hosts.
“It’s a teaching moment for parents: have fun, but have boundaries,” he said, citing how respectful both boys are.
“What did Bruce Springsteen say? ‘You learn more from a three-minute record than he ever did in school.’
“I think of the moments of those kids being in locker rooms, around players and coaches and trainers, and how much you’d learn.
“Everyone encourages you to have fun in that environment.
“I can’t imagine how many Blues goalies probably put on their pads and got those boys to shoot on them.
“So, you get confidence and personality.”
Both are on full display, to the league's benefit.
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