Matthew Tkachuk makes honest admission on 4 Nations Face-Off final's importance compared to Stanley Cup success

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk appeared on Monday's "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" to discuss the 4 Nations Face-Off. Host Jimmy Fallon asked if the tournament final was the biggest game of his career, even bigger than winning the Stanley Cup.

In his response, Tkachuk agreed and said it was a huge stage.

"Yeah. It really was such a big tournament and such a huge stage, and something that I'll never forget," the forward said. "And just the thing that I'm most proud of with that team was how much pride we showed in representing our country and being Americans.

"We're so lucky to be from this great country, and to be able to, yeah, just to be able to represent and look down and see the USA crest. Yes, it's nothing, you know, there's nothing that will beat that. So it's incredible."

Tkachuk played three games in the tournament and recorded three points (two goals and one assist). His best outing was against Finland, where he scored twice and had an assist in a 6-1 win. He did not score in both games against Canada, including the 3-2 overtime loss in the final.

Tkachuk has 22 goals and 35 assists in 52 games this season. He is an important player for the Florida Panthers but is currently out with a groin injury. Reports say he might return in March. If he stays out until the playoffs, the Panthers could place him on long-term injured reserve to free up cap space.

Matthew Tkachuk stresses his feelings about being an American

Matthew Tkachuk takes extreme pride in representing the United States. Earlier in the first week of February, U.S. President Donald Trump invited the Florida Panthers team to the White House for their Stanley Cup win in 2024. There, Tkachuk talked about his roots and how much pride he takes in being an American.

"Going through that run and to be here at the White House today and meet the president of the United States and lucky enough to have him honor us is just so cool and something that I honestly never would’ve imagined," Tkachuk said, per NHL.

“You wake up every day really grateful to be an American, so thank you... I definitely take great pride in being American and being from the United States. I can’t really stress enough how much it means for me to be here.”

Matthew Tkachuk has repeatedly made it clear that representing his country is a special experience. While winning the Stanley Cup is great, the 4 Nations Face-Off with the USA jersey is next level for Tkachuk.