Once in a while, you’ll see a moment on the ice that reminds you that the players on the ice are actually human beings. On Saturday afternoon, Keith Tkachuk of the St. Louis Blues reminded me that NHL players are more than faceless robots that wear our favorite teams’ jerseys. I didn’t WANT to see something like that from a guy that I’ve never liked—but it looks like it’s time for me to admit to myself that Keith Tkachuk is a class act.
I congratulate Hall of Famers and I can do the splits. You should respect me.
On Saturday afternoon, the Los Angeles Kings honored Luc Robitaille and his Hockey Hall of Fame induction last month. As the ceremony concluded, the guests filed off the rink and the Blues took the ice to warm up, fans in the arena might have caught an incredibly classy move if they were paying attention. Keith Tkachuk skated directly to the former Kings sniper, shook his hands and offered a few words of congratulations. The two goal scorers never played together on the same team in the NHL—hell, they never even played together in international competition. But the Blues elder-statesman still MADE an opportunity to personally applaud a player that had such a great NHL career.
It’s a telling moment to see a guy make such a gesture. It’s the kind of move that you’d hope your kids would make when you raise them and watch them turn into an adult. It’s the kind of act you’d love to see someone on YOUR team make when someone else’s hero was being honored. And when you see an opponent do it, it’s the kind of deed that reminds you that hockey players can be incredible human beings off the ice.
Of course, when the game started, Tkachuk reminded me of the reasons why I have disliked him since he entered the league. In the first period, he was creating traffic in front of the net—so much so that St. Louis had a goal erased as he was given an interference call for his efforts. He bitched and complained at the refs for that entire 100 foot skate from the net to the penalty box. Normally, I wouldn’t give it a second thought because it was a player that I disliked acting like a jackass.
But after that handshake before the game, I realized that he was doing exactly what I’d want my players to do. The only difference is that he had been doing it against my team for half of my life. If he was playing his skilled, gritty game that often walks the line between legal and illegal for MY favorite team, he’d be one of my favorite players in the league. But because he’s been doing it AGAINST my team since Winnipeg had a team, he has been a never-ending thorn in my side.
I honestly have no good reason for not liking him. He seems to play the game the “right” way (whatever that means). I have never heard him say anything in the media that would make me dislike him. Not only that, but I’ve never heard any of his teammates or opponents have anything to say but glowing praise for the 37 year old power forward.
In St. Louis, he’s de facto leader of a team that has all the young talent in the world. He may not wear the C on his chest like he did in Winnipeg or Phoenix, but that doesn’t mean he’s any less of a leader. In fact, I get the distinct impression that as his goal totals diminish in the twilight of his career, his leadership abilities are even more important.
I’m not the only one that has seen the qualities that Tkachuk has brought to the Blues this season. David Rogers of FrozenNotes.com also sees all of the little things that Tkachuk does for his team that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet:
“Tkachuk is a true leader despite not being the official captain in St. Louis. (He) battles hard in the corners and makes his presence felt in front of the net. He grinds and hits while leading his team.” –David Rogers (Associate Editor, Fanball.com)
Yet still I’ve hated him with the passion reserved for John LeClair. It’s not like Tkachuk scored OT goals to kill any chances of my team winning their first Stanley Cup. So I don’t have a legitimate reason for disliking him. Maybe it’s just because he played in the Western Conference for all but 2 months of his career.
I could sit here and give you a laundry list of reasons why he’s proven that he’s a great player over the last 15-20 years. He’s one of the best American-born players in NHL history. He’s a 5-time All-Star who has represented his country in 4 Olympics. He has over 500 goals and 1000+ points in over 1000 career games. But none of those stats would have done anything for me until I saw the type of human being he was on Saturday afternoon.
The respect that Keith Tkachuk paid to Robitaille served as a reminder that hockey players are real people. They can battle their opponents; but can also respect their opponent. In a world that has Charles Barkley telling us that he’s not a role model and Daniel Carcillo punching opponents in the face before they can defend themselves, it’s a great reminder of the type of human being that athletes can be.
The best part about it is that he didn’t do it for reporters or any recognition. He did it because he wanted to and he felt like it was the right thing to do. Well, I noticed. And as long as he’s not pissing me off during a Kings game, I’ll look at him in a completely different light.
