Keith Tkachuk

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Tkachuk's NHL career began at the tail end of the 1991–92 season with the Winnipeg Jets, recording eight points in 17 games. The following year, in his first full season, he recorded the first of twelve consecutive 20-goal seasons and quickly became among the elite power forwards of his era. He recorded consecutive 50-goal seasons, doing so with Winnipeg in the 1995–96 season and Phoenix in the 1996–97 season, with the latter seeing him lead the NHL in goals scored, becoming the first American to lead the NHL in goal-scoring. He was traded from the Coyotes to the Blues late in the 2000–01 season, where he would play as a mainstay for nine of the next ten years. In 2008, he scored his 500th goal to become the 41st player with 500 goals in NHL history and fourth American to do so and subsequently recorded his 1,000th point to become the sixth American to reach the milestone. He retired in 2010; from 1991 to 2010, Tkachuk was one of eight players to score 500 goals. A tough forward who recorded over 100 penalty minutes in ten of his eighteen seasons, Tkachuk is one of three players to have recorded both 500 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes in NHL history.

In Their Own Story

Days after the end of the 1992 Winter Olympics, Tkachuk made his NHL debut on February 28, 1992, against the Vancouver Canucks, where he tallied an assist. As early as his second game in the NHL, Tkachuk had a willingness to fight, doing so against Scott Mellanby of the Edmonton Oilers on the faceoff in the neutral zone. He would finish the season playing with the Jets, scoring eight points in 17 games. In the Stanley Cup playoffs that year, he scored three goals in seven games. The following 1992–93 season was Tkachuk's official rookie year. He appeared in 83 games and ended the season with 28 goals and 51 points, which included a 12–game point streak from March 9 to April 3. Tkachuk became the team captain the next season on November 3, 1993, two weeks after recording his first hat-trick, against the Philadelphia Flyers. Some of his accomplishments from that season include leading the Jets in goals (41), points (81) and power-play goals (22). The 1994–95 season, which was shortened by a labor lockout, saw Tkachuk earn all-star second-team honors, as well as being second on the Jets in points scored.

Reader's Guide

Tkachuk was drafted as the 19th overall pick by Winnipeg in 1990. He played as a center, left winger and right winger in his career. He has earned the nickname 'Walt' (given to him by Eddie Olczyk), possibly in reference to Walter Tkaczuk, a star center who played for the New York Rangers from 1967 to 1981. The two players' last names are pronounced similarly but spelled differently, and the two men are not related to each other. With his strong play in front of the net, using his size and strength to battle opposing defensemen, St. Louis Blues broadcasters and fans dubbed Tkachuk 'Big Walt.' He represented the United States for various international competitions, which saw them win the World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and a silver medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics. In 2011, he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame; he was subsequently honored with induction into the Coyotes Ring of Honor and the Blues Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

• Tkachuk is one of three players to have recorded both 500 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes in NHL history.
• He became the first American to lead the NHL in goal-scoring, doing so with 52 goals in the 1996–97 season.
• Tkachuk was the first player in league history to lead the league in scoring and have over 200 penalty minutes.
• He was drafted 19th overall in 1990 by the Winnipeg Jets, who acquired the pick from the Buffalo Sabres in the deal that sent Dale Hawerchuk to Buffalo.
• Tkachuk's son Matthew and Brady both play for the Florida Panthers.