Chantal tkachuk on raising the NHL sons Matthew and Brady

When Matthew Tkachuk and his younger brother Brady Tkachuk helped spark three fights in the first nine seconds Of the long -awaited return of Canada against US hockey rytivality this year, perhaps no one was less surprised than their mother, Chantal Tkachuk.

Chantal recently talked to people about raising their NHL sons Matthew, 27, and Brady, 25, who have both long made a reputation as two of Hockey’s toughest players.

“They were typical brothers – busy, competitive,” reminds Chantal, before they broke out in a laugh on how “competitive” they would get with each other.

“It would usually end up in a tussle sometime,” says the NHL mom. “But then five minutes later they would play back together.”

Whether they fought on the Tribun during their dad Keith Tkachuk’s game with St. Louis Blues or down in the basement of the family’s suburban St. Louis -home while playing each other in stick hockey, Matthew and Brady’s relationship played out as watch.

“No doubt that they would get into it every now and then, but it was just part of how they played,” says Chantal and paused to analyze their two boys. “I think it ended up contributing to them succeeded in what they do now, because they were driving each other so much.”

For the first time in their career, both Matthew and Brady made the playoffs, which recently finished their first round. Matthew’s Florida Panthers advanced, while Brady’s Ottawa senators were not eliminated-but not before patting back from a 3-0 series deficit against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Chantal and Keith, who got married in 1997, were at all Brady’s games during their playoff debut and says they will now travel to look at Matthew’s second round series against Toronto personally.

Chantal says that the Tkachuk family always shows up in full support for the boys, who go back to their youth hockey days when Keith’s mother Gerry Tkachuk and Chantal’s late mother Pat Oster – two of Matthew and Brady’s most passionate supporters – would sit beside her on the tribun.

Chantal and Keith also share daughter Taryn, a prominent field hockey player at the University of Virginia, who did a deep drive in NCAA tournament Last November.

“The three were busy and active children, very engaged in lots of different sports,” says Chantal. “When he was growing up, Keith traveled so much that they were my full -time job, but I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I feel so lucky that I got to be part of everything throughout their lives.

“Now it comes to the point where Keith and I start to have more time for ourselves,” she says. “But it still gets crazy busy.”

Although her children’s sporting event is still taking up a substantial part of her schedule, Chantal says that she and Keith are snapping out their own time. Chantal recently visited his father in Winnipeg, and after the playoffs in the Stanley Cup is over, she plans to vacation in France with Taryn to celebrate her college degree.

Next February, Chantal and Keith hope to travel Europe and stay in Italy to see their sons play side by side again for Team USA when NHL players return to the Winter Olympics 2026.

“Keith and I are just next to ourselves to be able to see them play on the same team,” says Chantal.

Matthew earlier told people It was his dream to play on the same team as his younger brother, whom he met against a number of times during the latest NHL seasons – with mother Chantal who looked worried from Tribunen.

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“When your children support each other in the way they do, it makes me feel really proud no matter what,” Chantal tells People. “Especially with the boys, because they are competitors on the ice and play for different teams, but off the ice they just want the best for each other and will support each other no matter what.”

Chantal adds: “When the game is over, they just go back to being brothers.”