However, to the disappointment of both the Blackhawks and Tkachuk, any assumption that the organization's poor financial situation would preclude them from meeting such obligations quickly proved incorrect as the Jets matched the offer-sheet within six hours.ĭue to the contract dispute, Tkachuk was stripped of the captaincy and replaced by Kris King nonetheless, he set a career-high 50 goals and 98 points, the closest he ever came to reaching the 100-point plateau. Eventually however, frustrated by the lack of progress in negotiations, the Chicago Blackhawks persuaded Tkachuk to sign a front-loaded five-year offer sheet worth $17 million, with $6 million due in the first season. While the then-new collective bargaining agreement allowed restricted free agents to negotiate directly with other teams, Tkachuk was initially reluctant to sign an offer sheet since Winnipeg would have the right to match it. While the Jets attempted to negotiate a deal with several teams, a trade could not be finalized. Tkachuk, a restricted free agent at the time, requested a trade and made it clear he would not re-sign with Winnipeg under any circumstances. While this eventually resulted in the franchise being sold to Minnesota-based interests, serious efforts to keep the team in Winnipeg were still ongoing during the 1995 off-season. 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.īy the end of the 1994-95 season, it was clear that the Jets were in a dire financial situation. Some of his accomplishments from that season include leading the Jets in goals (41), points (81) and power-play goals (22). Tkachuk became the team captain the next season on November 3, 1993, two weeks after recording his first hat-trick, against the Philadelphia Flyers. He appeared in 83 games and ended the season with 28 goals and 51 points, including a 12–game scoring streak from March 9 to April 3, 1993. The following season, 1992–93, was Tkachuk's official rookie year. In the Stanley Cup playoffs that year, he scored three goals in seven games. ![]() He would finish the season playing with the Jets, scoring eight points in 17 games. Only 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. Louis Blues broadcasters and fans dubbed Tkachuk "Big Walt." Winnipeg Jets (1992–1996) With his strong play in front of the net, using his size and strength to battle opposing defensemen, St. The two players' last names are pronounced similarly but spelled differently (being the Polish and English transliterations, respectively, of the Ukrainian "Ткачук"), and the two men are not related to each other. ![]() Tkachuk 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. Tkachuk played as a center, left winger and right winger in his career. ![]() He was drafted in the first round, 19th overall, in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets, who acquired the pick from the Buffalo Sabres in the deal that sent Dale Hawerchuk to Buffalo. Tkachuk played one season of collegiate hockey at Boston University, was a member of the United States national junior team in 19 and a member of Team USA in 1992. Tkachuk was born at the Melrose/Wakefield Hospital in Melrose, Massachusetts, grew up in Charlestown, Massachusetts and played high school hockey at Malden Catholic High School in Malden, Massachusetts. He is one of 47 players to have scored 500 goals, but he is one of five eligible players to not be a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is considered to be one of the greatest U.S.-born players in NHL history. He is one of five American-born players to score 500 goals, and is the sixth American player to score 1,000 points. His sons Matthew and Brady play for the Florida Panthers and the Ottawa Senators, respectively. ![]() Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers, retiring in 2010. Keith Matthew Tkachuk ( / k ə ˈ tʃ ʌ k/ born March 28, 1972) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) in a 18-year career with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, St.
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