"A break from Matthew": Matthew Tkachuk's fianceé Ellie Connell enjoys a bridesmaids day out with her future sister-in-law Taryn

Modified Mar 14, 2025 02:52 GMT

Florida Panthers alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk and his fiancee Ellie Connell could be tying the knot soon. On Thursday, Tkachuk’s sister Taryn shared a couple of photos on her Instagram stories, hinting at pre-wedding celebrations for her brother’s fiancee.

One of the clicks showed Ellie Connell at an outdoor cafe, smiling in a white outfit while holding a drink. The location tag confirmed they were in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the caption read:

“Bride to be”

In the next story, Taryn shared a mirror selfie taken in what appears to be a changing room at a bridal boutique. Ellie wore a white mini dress standing behind Taryn, who sported a pink ruched mini dress.

“The bridesmaids wanted a celebration…,” Taryn wrote in the caption.

“A break from Matthew! (IFYKYK),” she added.

Matthew Tkachuk and Ellie Connell had announced their engagement in April last year. They made their public appearance together at the NHL Awards in 2023.

Ellie is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, like Tkachuk. She has been working as a luxury travel advisor with Travel Untethered after graduating from Southern Methodist University where she studied digital media and advertising.

Matthew Tkachuk wished late Johnny Guadreau’s son on his birthday

Last month, Matthew Tkachuk joined Columbus Blue Jackets fans in celebrating Johnny Gaudreau’s son Jonny Jr.’s first birthday.

Tkachuk shared a video of the crowd at a Blue Jackets game singing "Happy Birthday" to Johnny Jr. on his stories. The original video was posted by the Spittin' Chiclets podcast on Instagram.

“Heartwarming moment in Columbus during the TV timeout, the crowd sang Happy Birthday to baby Johnny Gaudreau to celebrate his first birthday!” read the post’s caption.

Matthew Tkachuk added in how own sweet birthday message for his former teammate’s son. He wrote:

“Happy birthday little hockey!”

Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau tragically died in a road accident last August. The brothers were in their hometown near Salem County for their sister’s wedding when they were struck by a drunk driver while riding their bicycles at night.

Since their passing the hockey community has paid several tributes in honor of the late NHL stars. Matthew Tkachuk was previously teammates with Johnny Gaudreau at the Calgary Flames and was close to the Gaudreau family. He has been among those keeping his friend’s memory alive.

About the author

Anjum is an NHL reporter at Sportskeeda with over five years of professional experience in the industry. Having an educational background in Media Studies, she strives to present information in a clear and unbiased manner, so that all perspectives are considered and represented fairly.

Anjum prioritizes thorough research, fact-checking and verification of sources when reporting, and has worked for the Nation of Blaugrana, Barca International Cules, FromTheBend, Last Word On Sports and NASA.

She got interested in ice hockey after watching the “MVP” trilogy as a second grader and has not gotten over the sport yet. Her favorite player is Alex Ovechkin, whose legendary one-timers live rent free in her heart. The iconic moment when Ovechkin reached 800 career goals with a hat trick in Chicago as the away crowd chanted “Ovi, Ovi” is probably her happiest memory from an ice-rink.

She is a self-taught musician, loves silversmithing and can be found at her workbench if she’s not watching or writing about sports.

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