Looking Back At Keith Tkachuk

Catching Up With The Old Team: Getting To Know

Former Coyote Keith Tkachuk

Considered to be one of the most talented U.S. born players in NHL history, (BIG WALT) Keith Tkachuk — who hailed from Melrose, Massachusetts — is the focus of this throwback.

He is one of only four American-born NHL players have scored 500 goals or more, and he’s also the sixth American to score 1,000 points. The 19th overall pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, he didn’t spend long in Canada before getting to play hockey back in the US — where his career both began and ended.

Before joining the Jets in 1992, Tkachuk played collegiate hockey at Boston University, and was on the U.S. Olympic team in ’92. Keith was affectionately nicknamed “Big Walt” by former teammate Eddie Olczyk, who tagged him with the name because his surname was so similar to Walter Tkaczuk, who played for the New York Rangers.

Tkachuk played his first NHL game on February 28,1992 vs the Vancouver Canucks, recording an assist just days after he completed his Olympics competition. He went on to play 17 games that season, tallying only 8 points — but in the playoffs, he scored 3 goals in seven games to show he was ready for the NHL.

The following season, which was his official rookie season, he showed his scoring prowess by lighting the lamp 28 times, and totaling 51 points in 83 games. Yes, hockey fans — that was NOT a typo. Starting in the ’92-’93 season, the NHL played 84 games, with two games being played in neutral site locations. This was to get a feel about what cities might be able to handle eventual expansion, and to allow non-NHL cities the chance to experience a NHL game up close and personal.

During the ’93-’94 season, Tkachuk was pegged the team captain, and showed why. He led the Jets with 41 goals and 81 points, with a stunning 22 of those goals coming from the power play! You think they were feeding Big Walt the puck or what? Following the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, he exploded with All-Star like stats; he collected 50 goals and 48 assists, just missing the century mark. He again dominated in PPG, providing Winnipeg with 20 extra man tallies.

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At the start of the ’95-’96 season he was a restricted free agent, and signed a lucrative front-loaded five year offer sheet worth $17 million — with $6 million coming in the first season — from the Chicago Blackhawks. Even with the Jets’ pending re-location to Phoenix, Arizona, though, the Jets matched the offer within six hours time; Tkachuk’s gamble paid off, and he got to both stay with the Jets and haul in a decent pay.

Keith’s first season as a member of the new Phoenix Coyotes… was memorable, to put it bluntly. He increased his goal-scoring during the 1996-1997 season by beating opposing goalies 52 times, adding 34 assists for good measure. He led the Desert Dogs in goals, points, power-play goals, game-winning goals, and shots. That performance was rewarded with an appearance in the NHL All-Star Game.

Once again in the ’98-99 season, Keith led the team in goals, power-play goals, game-winning goals, shots, and plus/minus, sending him to yet another All-Star appearance.

Big Walt was a tough competitor, and logged 1,508 penalty minutes during his combined career with Winnipeg/Phoenix. Not too many players would like to go into the corners challenging him. He incurred several injuries that reduced his performance, though, causing the Coyotes to trade him to the St. Louis Blues on March 13, 2001. In return Phoenix received: Michal Handzus, Ladislav Nagy, Jeff Taffe and a first round selection. He was briefly suspended when he reported to the Blues training camp overweight, and failed the physical.

After a short trip to the Atlanta Thrashers in ’07, playing just 18 games, he re-joined the Blues in ’07. He played until he announced his retirement on April 13, 2010.

Keith Tkachuk, the first Captain Coyote, was one heck of a hockey player!

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