From the Archives: Jets' Keith Tkachuk Leads Brigade of Unkinder, Ungentler American Players

The following THN Archive story by Al Morganti takes a look at the very early days of Keith Tkachuk as a Winnipeg Jet, which are similar to those of his current NHL-playing sons, Brady and Matthew.

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Jets' Keith Tkachuk Leads Brigade of Unkinder, Ungentler American Players

November 6, 1992 – Vol. 46, Issue 08

By Al Morganti

"There would really be nothing that unusual about Keith Tkachuk if he was from Alberta or Saskatchewan or Ontario. And there would really be nothing unusual about Tkachuk if he were trained in Canadian major junior hockey.

If that were the case, he’d just be viewed as the latest deluxe model of those burly, hungry wingers to come from Canada. Just another 6-foot-2, 190-pound super grinder, with good offensive skills who made it to the NHL as much on determination as talent.

But what makes Tkachuk special is he’s not made in Canada. He’s a red, white and blue product of the Boston suburbs who played at Boston University in 1990-91 before joining the 1992 U.S. Olympic team.

In essence, what Tkachuk and a few others of his style represent is yet another generation of American hockey players. Finally, the U.S. colleges are producing the sort of player who has been the backbone of the NHL for more than 50 years. That’s the grinding, powerful winger with a scoring touch who will punch out some teeth on his way to 200 minutes in penalties.

At the top of the penalty minute list there is Boston College product Kevin Stevens, who has become the NHL’s premier tough left winger. You can now add Tkachuk to that list, and many teams have depth charts which have blossoming players such as New Jersey Devils’ winger Bill Guerin, another BC product who will fit that mold.

“I don’t care if you’re talking Canadian, American, whatever,” said Winnipeg coach John Paddock. “It’s a short list. But we think Keith can be a player along the lines of Cam Neely or Rick Tocchet.”

Tkachuk was Winnipeg’s most impressive forward in last spring’s playoffs, scoring three goals in seven games, while picking up 30 minutes in penalties. He had a strong start this season with six points in the Jets’ first seven games and also got into three scraps during an early three-game road trip.

“We sort of knew what to expect from him,” Paddock said. “When I scouted him, I noticed a lot of terrific collisions and he wasn’t ever the one to go down. But the way he played in the playoffs last year, that was unexpected. You don’t think a 19-year-old will be a playoff leader, but he was.”

The fact he’s a product of the U.S. college system is only an aside, but guys such as Tkachuk might be a preview of the future parade of American talent.

“It has all changed,” said Steve Cedorchuk, a long-time assistant at Boston College in his first year as head coach. “I think we’ve finally rid ourselves of the stereotype American player.

“You know, the typical American? The limited defenseman, or the skilled forward who doesn’t like the rough going? Sure, we’ve always had guys like Brian Leetch to dispel the myths, but now I think the majority of guys coming out of college are dispelling the myths.”

Tkachuk, 20, is the perfect example. He came to the Jets after the Olympics and earned a roster spot with a physical style of play, a nice touch around the net and an eagerness to get involved in the rough going.

“I’m the kind of player who needs to hit somebody early to play well,” Tkachuk said. “I know that I need a couple of early hits to have a good game.”

Tkachuk occasionally runs into trouble when he goes too far out of his way to try to make the big hit. But there’s no denying he plays best when he plays rough. The same can be said for a whole new breed of American player.

“The difference between Canadians and Americans was shrinking for years,” Cedorchuk said, “but there have been big changes recently in the physical play.

“I really believe there was something to be gained, maybe a mental toughness which translated onto the ice from the Canadian kid riding the buses and living through the tough times in junior.”

Cedorchuk said U.S. hockey has become a similar grind. While the NCAA has cut back the number of games a team can play to 32 per season, many are back-to-back games and most players playing in competitive summer leagues.

“On top of that, it has become a tougher game in college,” Cedorchuk said. “There’s a lot of hitting. It’s a very physical game.

“You’re seeing the end of an era when you can say anybody is an ‘American’ player. It’s all just tough players or they won’t make it to the NHL.”