Why Brady Tkachuk didn't touch the Stanley Cup after the Florida Panthers won Game 7

The Tkachuk name is finally going on the Stanley Cup more than 30 years after Keith broke into the NHL.

Matthew Tkachuk, Keith’s oldest son, helped lead the Florida Panthers to their first championship in franchise history as they defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 on Monday night.

Yet in all the photos of the Tkachuk family celebrating on the ice and in the locker room afterwards, you may have noticed Matthew’s younger brother Brady abstained from getting too close to the famed trophy (so far).

There’s a good — and pretty classic — reason for this.

Hockey players, like most pro athletes, are incredibly superstitious, and there’s a long held belief that any player who touches the Stanley Cup before  winning it will never win a championship.

The Tkachuk family pic.twitter.com/acQReu0Jri

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) June 25, 2024

Considering Brady Tkachuk, who plays for the Ottawa Senators, is still 24 with a whole career ahead of him, it makes sense he wouldn’t want to tempt fate.

That left him trying to celebrate his brother’s victory without cursing his own chances of winning the Cup. It seems like he struck a solid balance, all things considered. The Senators (+400) are tied for the 10th-best odds to win the Cup in 2025, so it was probably a good move.