NHL star Brady Tkachuk and his older brother, Matthew, have made a name for themselves with their fisticuffs on the ice — but Brady admitted they wouldn’t match up well against Travis and Jason Kelce on dry land.
“Matthew and I don’t even stand a chance,” Brady, 26, exclusively told Us Weekly. “We definitely don’t stand a chance. Let’s hope we are never, ever in that situation.”
The Ottawa Senators captain added with a laugh, “I’m definitely taking those two over us any day of the week.”
Brady and Matthew, 27, appeared on the “New Heights” podcast, hosted by Jason, 37, and Travis, 36, in February after their stirring performances for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Team USA Hockey Stars Matthew and Brady Tkachuk’s Family Guide
As one of the stars of season two of Prime Video’s docuseries Faceoff: Inside the NHL, streaming now, Brady admitted he sometimes feels left in the “shadow” of his brother’s success. Matthew has won two consecutive Stanley Cups as a member of the Florida Panthers, while Brady finally got his first taste of playoff hockey last season.
Brady told Us that he no longer feels like he’s playing second fiddle to his brother, which is something that came with a bit of time and perspective.
“There’s no shadow,” Brady said. “But with all of Matthew’s accomplishments and my best friend being able to experience all the highlights, that just creates that much more motivation to join his club and join that party.”
As Brady gears up for his eighth season in Ottawa, the grueling pace of the NHL season means more time away from his wife, Emma, and their son Ryder, 12 months.
“The most difficult part for me, and for a lot of guys, is being away from their family,” Brady said. “Their wives, their kids, just missing out on those fun moments. Ryder is on the verge of walking. Of course, I want to see him walk. But at the end of the day, it’s just part of our business.”
He added, “That’s what’s nice about getting out on the road with the guys, because you’re not the only one going through that. It’s nice to collectively be together. And when we’re at home, it’s all about family. I think that’s what helps with my performance. I’ve already felt that, in the grand scheme of things. The most important thing in life is having a happy, healthy family. I can’t dread too much on bad games, good games, because there’s always a following game after.”
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Brady is featured on season 2 of Faceoff: Inside the NHL alongside stars including Sidney Crosby, William Nylander, Zach Werenski, Seth Jarvis and Brad Marchand.
Despite having cameras inside his house and following him around off the ice, Brady said the experience of filming “wasn’t as super crazy as people think.”
“They were just in the background of things,” Brady explained. “They were never in your face or invasive. I thought it was going to be a lot more than it actually was. They did a great job of staying in the weeds a little bit and capturing those raw, emotional moments.”
All six episodes of Faceoff: Inside the NHL season 2 are available to stream on Prime Video.
