FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- When Florida Panthers general manager and president of hockey operations Bill Zito made the trade to acquire Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk on Sunday, he united arguably hockey's most polarizing brothers in South Florida.
Known for their loud personalities on and off the ice, Brady and his older brother Matthew will continue to be a thorn in opposition's sides. The only difference is they'll be doing while fulfilling a childhood dream of playing together in the NHL.
With how close the Tkachuks are as a family, it shouldn't be a surprise to hear Brady found out he was traded while in the company of his family on Father's Day.
"I was off my phone for five minutes when it happened, we were doing family pictures," Brady Tkachuk said at Tuesday's introductory press conference. "From then on I just couldn't believe it. I know I'm gonna need a couple days after this just to regroup and think about everything that has happened."
Their dream will soon be a reality when the 2026-27 NHL season starts next October, but for a while, the Tkachuks thought the idea would be nothing more than that: a dream.
The first time the sibling-duo took the ice together in a competitive setting was February 2025 at the 4 Nations Face-Off for Team USA. When the United States took on Canada in the preliminary round of the tournament, Brady and Matthew had both hardcore hockey fans and casual watchers of the game on their feet when they both dropped the gloves with their Canadian counterparts mere seconds into the highly-anticipated contest.
A year later at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Tkachuks helped bring home the first men's Olympic gold medal for the United States since 1980.
After winning one of sport's most prized possessions together, the notion of Brady and Matthew joining forces in the NHL picked up steam, from hockey fans, again.
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"I think you can always dream about it," Brady said. "I don't think we ever thought it could be a reality until we got to the Olympics. I think our only dream as a kid was just to make the NHL… I don't even think we ever talked or considered what it'd be like every single day."
Luckily for the Tkachuks, and the Panthers, the man who could bring the brothers together in the NHL wasn't too far from them in Milan.
Zito was one of Team USA's assistant general managers for both the Olympics and 4 Nations tournaments. Seeing how his star Panthers forward Matthew complemented younger brother Brady on the ice was one thing, but it wasn't everything. Zito saw how the two interacted with their fellow American teammates every day for three weeks in the village.
"They had like a hot stove central setup in their rooms," Zito said. "The Hughes brothers and the Tkachuk brothers literally were the place to hang out for the entire Olympics. So, when the players would go back, it would be to go there. Their awareness in tandem with their authenticity of 'yeah, come on in, let's hang out,' that's next level."
When the Tkachuks share the ice in Florida, they'll be just the 16th set of brothers to play together on an NHL team since 2005.
Brady, 26, and Matthew, 28, are both on major chapters in their lives away from the rink. The brothers have started their own families, with Matthew's wife Ellie giving birth to their first child in mid-April, and Brady's wife Emma giving birth to their second child later in the month.
Knowing his kids will be able to grow up around their family made Brady put into perspective how unique and exciting his new opportunity in Florida really was.
"That was the first time it hit last night, [when I was] flying together with my two kids and Matthew's daughter," Brady said. "All of us together. That was where we're like 'holy cow, this is real and this is what's going to be everyday life.'" "That's something that was really important. To have our kids grow up together, be close. Something that we find that's going to be really special for our family."
NHL players are extremely meticulous, sometimes robotic when it comes to their day-to-day operations during the season. Pasta and chicken three hours before the game. Left skate on before the right. Stick tape must go heel-to-toe. Players find a sense of comfort in normalcy. Brady's new normalcy will involve Matthew.
"We've talked about little routines we're gonna have in the morning," Brady said. "We like to get to the rink -- both of us -- really early. So, little breakfast, coffee and hanging out in the morning before guys get there.
"At the end of the day I know it's exciting, but I think for me, it's the excitement to be a part of this whole entire group. It's a special group, and I know of course [I'm] always going to have that personal relationship with Matthew and he's going to be a great guide into introducing me to a lot of things."
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