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From the street hockey courts of Medford to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Keith Tkachuk’s legendary journey has been well documented.
I should know, I’ve penned quite a few chapters.
So as I watched “Big Walt” give his acceptance speech Sunday night in Toronto, I couldn’t help but smile... And I never smile.
“I began tonight by joking about a Tkachuk finally getting a warm welcome in Toronto,” Tkachuk told the crowd. “But the truth is throughout my life this game has welcomed me at every level. I accept this honor with gratitude to everyone who has been part of my journey. Thank you to the Hockey Hall of Fame for this incredible privilege. I’m honored to be here tonight and now forever.”
As he spoke, all the great memories covering his all-star career came flooding back.
It all started in 1995, when I profiled Keith for the Medford Citizen. The story essentially and effectively launched my sports writing career. Now, over 30 years and literally thousands of bylines later, to see him reach hockey’s highest pinnacle is the icing on the cake.
Time flies. But the memories of “The Tkachuk Chronicles," as my co-workers have since dubbed them, have certainly lasted a lifetime.
A product of Medford Youth Hockey and a former Malden Catholic Lancer, Tkachuk was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, 19th overall, in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. He relocated with the franchise to Phoenix, skating five seasons with the Coyotes, before finding a new hockey home in St. Louis during the 2000-01 season.
Although he was dealt to Atlanta during the Thrashers playoff drive late in 2007, Tkachuk ultimately returned to St. Louis the following season where he finished his 19-year career with 538 goals, 527 assists, and 1,065 points, in 1,201 regular season games.
I first interviewed Keith after a Winnipeg Jets practice and inside a cramped locker room, deep in the catacombs of Matthews Arena, Nov. 20, 1995. The then-23-year old left-winger was in the prime of his illustrious career entering his fifth NHL season.
The young All-Star was in great spirits during my extended Q&A session. We talked about the Jets, who were about to move to Phoenix the following season, while also revisiting his days playing for Malden Catholic and residing in Medford. Meanwhile, his teammates Eddie Olczyk and Dallas Drake heckled him relentlessly in the background the entire time.
I can literally still hear their voices calling out in the distance.
“We love you, Walt!” said Olczyk, in a shrill falsetto.
“I love ya, buddy!” Tkachuk shot back, not missing a beat. He would go on to score 50 goals that year, his first of two back-to-back 50-goal campaigns.
The interview was a cool precursor to what was ahead the following night, walking into the brand-new Fleet Center for the first time ever to cover my first NHL game, Nov. 21, 1995. “Big Walt” didn’t disappoint, potting a pair of goals to give the Jets the lead. But his team failed to contain Bruins center Jozef Stumpel, who netted a hat trick guiding Boston to a dramatic 5-4 comeback, giving this writer a great story to run with.
My feature was epic in its scope. It contained quotes from a half-dozen people I interviewed, including Keith’s mother Gerry, former Malden Catholic Coach Mark Tarmey, Winnipeg Jets Coach Terry Simpson, former Bruin players Steve Heinze and Shawn McEachern, not to mention “Big Walt” himself.
I had a lot of original source material to work with and put it all to good use. My first draft measured in at a staggering 127-inches in length, nearly giving assistant editor Peter DeMarco a heart attack.
Back then, a standard issue story size was usually between 20 and 22 inches. Pete may have been expecting something the size of a pamphlet. Instead, I clobbered him over the head with an unabridged version of “The Stand.” But after a few edits and revisions, we managed to trim my masterpiece down to a 40-inch feature. And the rest was Hurley history.
Over the next 14 years I covered Tkachuk and all his exploits. This included his helping Team USA win the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. I was there in Philadelphia for their first game against heavy favorites Canada. Keith got into a memorable fight with Montreal Canadiens nemesis Claude Lemieux, breaking his nose and setting the tone. To date, that 1996 World Cup team is still the greatest team I’ve ever seen assembled.
Then there was his infamous roughhousing with best buddy Jeremy Roenick during a spirited skirmish at the 2004 NHL All-Star Game in Minnesota.
Truth be told, I may have inspired that melee, after innocently asking Roenick beforehand why there wasn’t any checking at all-star games.
“I’ll throw one tonight,” Roenick promised.
“Are you calling your shot?” I followed.
Roenick only offered a sly smile. He’d take a run at Keith later that night behind the net. Tkachuk, to his credit, quickly got to his skates and slashed J.R. back, in a vicious yet friendly joust. He leveled Roenick a little later along the boards, as payback. The scrum provided a little color and animation to a usually tame exhibition skate. It was arguably my favorite moment of the 10 NHL All-Star games I’ve covered in my career.
“He may have knocked me down, but I took him off his skates,” Keith told me, with a chuckle, following the game.
It was only fitting that J.R. presented him with his Hall of Fame plaque on Sunday.
That same night in Minnesota, I bumped into Keith's 6-year-old son Matthew sitting in his dad’s stall, completely unaware I’d be covering the tyke roughly a dozen years later.
There was also the time I surprised him in Chicago for an impromptu Q&A after the Blues played the Blackhawks, Dec. 16, 2009.
He was shocked to see I made the trip.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I’m stalking you,” I replied with a chuckle, before noting that I was there for the Bruins game the next day but figured I’d show up a day earlier to chat with him..
Keith announced his retirement at the end of that 2009-10 season, but the Tkachuk Chronicles continued just a few years later.
I interviewed his son Matthew during his rookie year with the Calgary Flames on Thanksgiving in 2017 at Boston University, the day before their tilt with the Bruins. It was exactly 21 years and four days after had I talked to his dad.
I subsequently covered his younger son Brady’s NHL debut against the Bruins, Oct. 6, 2016. I even got to catch up with the proud hockey dad in the stands for another quick Q&A following the game.
Over three decades later, the memory of our initial meeting remains.
My mother framed the press pass, which is prominently displayed on my office wall, along with a collage of various credentials, clippings and awards I have picked up over that time. The micro cassette of our interview is deep in the vaults at Hurley Headquarters, next to subsequent interview tapes of the Hanson Brothers, Nomar Garciaparra, David Ortiz, David Lee Roth, Zakk Wylde and Bun E. Carlos, among others.
And while I've been extremely fortunate to cover a plethora of local hockey stars that followed, including Joe Sacco, David Sacco, Mike Morrison, Shawn Bates and literally every local New England hockey player at both the NHL and AHL levels since 1995, it all started with Keith Tkachuk.
It is a constant reminder of where I started, where it all began.
And what a long crazy journey it has been ever since.
Christopher Hurley is a sports writer for Gotta Know Medford and has covered the New England sports scene since 1995. Contact him at Christopher.hurley34@gmail.com.
