Keith Tkachuk

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.

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.

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."

Keith Matthew Tkachuk (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. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers, retiring in 2010.

He is one of five American-born players to score 500 goals, and is the sixth American player to score 1,000 points.

Tkachuk is considered to be one of the top power forwards in NHL history, as well as one of the greatest American-born players to play in the NHL.

One of 47 NHL players to have scored 500 goals, Tkachuk remains one of only four eligible players to not be a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He is the father of Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, who play for the Florida Panthers and the Ottawa Senators, respectively.

Tkachuk was born at the Melrose/Wakefield Hospital in Melrose, Massachusetts, grew up in Medford, Massachusetts and played high school hockey at Malden Catholic High School in Malden, Massachusetts.

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 as a center, left winger and right winger in his career.

Tkachuk played one season of collegiate hockey at Boston University, was a member of the United States national junior team in 1991 and 1992 and a member of Team USA in 1992.

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.

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 season, 1992–93, was Tkachuk's official rookie year.

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.

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.

By the end of the 1994-95 season, it was clear that the Jets were in a dire financial situation.

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.

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 the Jets attempted to negotiate a deal with several teams, a trade could not be finalized.

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.

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.

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.

Due 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.

Tkachuk also led the Jets in power play goals (20), game-winning goals (6), shots (249) and plus-minus rating (+11).

Going up against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings, the Jets lost in six games, with Tkachuk scoring a goal and two assists in the series.

After losing Game 6 by a score of 4–1, the final Jets game in the city of Winnipeg before relocating to Phoenix, Tkachuk led the Jets in a final skate around Winnipeg Arena in appreciation of the fans.

After negotiations to move to Minnesota collapsed, the Jets relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1996.

Tkachuk moved with the team, remaining a member of the newly named Phoenix Coyotes.

He was also re-appointed captain, replacing Kris King.

It was with Phoenix during the 1996–97 season that he had his career-best 52 goals, and made his first appearance in the NHL All-Star Game.

He also led the team in goals, points, power-play goals, game-winning goals and shots for the 1997–98 season, earning him his second-straight All-Star appearance.

In 1997, Tkachuk appeared on the front cover of the video game NHL Breakaway '98.

He is also a superstar in Gretzky ‘98 winning 2 BOARDS with Phoenix.

For the 1998–99 season, Tkachuk led the team in goals, power-play goals, game-winning goals, shots and plus-minus, and again was named to the All-Star Game.

During the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Tkachuk was also a central figure in the trashing of hotel rooms.