Matthew Tkachuk revisited his turn as an NHL video game cover star during a recent episode of "Wingmen," the podcast he co-hosts with his brother Brady.

The two siblings discussed Macklin Celebrini becoming the newest cover athlete for EA Sports' NHL 27. Tkachuk was the cover athlete for NHL 26, the previous edition of the game.

He talked about the experience and what it meant to him growing up as a hockey-obsessed kid.

When he was asked what it was like, Tkachuk didn't hesitate. "We were d**hard NHL... gamers when we were younger," he said in the video posted on Youtube. "We absolutely loved it." 

Tkachuk was revealed to be the NHL 26 cover athlete in August 2025. He became just the second Florida Panthers player to get on the cover, following goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck on NHL 97. 

Brady and their father, Keith, joined him on the game's Deluxe Edition cover, and that was the first time a father and both of his sons had appeared together on the cover. 

Keith is a five-time NHL All-Star who played in parts of nine seasons with the St. Louis Blues. He also appeared on the cover in a Blues jersey, while Matthew and Brady wore their respective Panthers and Senators uniforms. 

Tkachuk talked about the day they spent shooting content for the cover. He recalled being on set from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Despite those long hours, he said, “I will say it was a long day, but seeing the actual hard copy cover after made it all worth it.” 

Tkachuk's Injury-Shortened Cover Season

The season of Tkachuk's cover run on the ice was a difficult one. He went through an offseason surgery in August 2025 and did not make his season debut until January 21. So he missed the first several months of the 2025-26 campaign. 

He returned in time to help the United States win Olympic gold at the Milan Cortina Games in February. He made six assists in six games before being absent for a while for the birth of his child. 

Tkachuk finished the season with 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points in 31 games, a point-per-game pace despite the limited playing time.

Florida ended up missing the playoffs that season after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups. They suffered from injuries across the roster, including their captain, Aleksander Barkov.

Even if he didn't play much, Tkachuk was still one of the team's most productive forwards when he was healthy. He continued a run and held a pace that had him record 288 points in 242 regular-season games since joining the Panthers in 2022. 

The Panthers have since then worked on reshaping their roster for 2026-27. That started with a trade that brought Brady to Florida from Ottawa in June. 

According to People, for the first time in their NHL careers, the Tkachuk brothers will now play along with each other. 

Read more at NHL Fan Central!

Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi