Matthew Tkachuk excited for in-flight Texas hold 'em poker on 2,541-mile flight to Edmonton for Stanley Cup Final 

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Jun 12, 2024 12:25 GMT

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk is excited about playing Texas hold 'em poker with the team during their long flight to Edmonton. The Panthers had home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup final against the Oilers in Games 1 and 2.

The Panthers clinched the first two games and will now head to Rogers Place in Edmonton for Games 3 and 4.

Both teams will depart from South Florida on Wednesday, giving them an extra day of rest before embarking on a six-plus-hour flight covering 2,541 miles (4,089 km) to the other side of the continent.

Tkachuk recently shared on "The Pat McAfee Show" about the Panthers' plans for the long flight:

"Yeah, I won't be doing high knees on the plane. I'll be playing some poker. Our team, our team loves playing cards, so we'll probably know exactly what's gonna happen," Tkachuk said.

"We've been saying how we're going to take a break halfway through the plan because nobody can play poker for, like, five and a half, six hours, but I don't know. We're gonna be playing the whole time. Just Texas hold 'em," he continued.

When asked about the number of people playing poker on the flight, Tkachuk said that it can vary. The Panthers forward described it as a fun way to pass the time:

"Um, it varies. But I think with a long, long plane ride, maybe like six or seven? I don't know. It's hard because there's two people that play that aren't at the table. So you're kind of like reaching over, I don't know. It'll be fine. It's a good way to have some fun on the plane. Make fun of some guys. I don't know. It's fun," he added.

Matthew Tkachuk and Panthers discuss poker table and players on team plane

Matthew Tkachuk spilled the beans that he's going to be sitting with Brandon Montour to play poker on the plane. He also noted that defenseman Gustav Forsling has been the top player for the team in the air this year.

"We sit in a group... I got Nick Cousins across from me. Got Sam Bennett on my right, diagonal Carter Verhaeghe and then Gustav Forsling. And Mahura are like kind of standing up once the thing gets going and Matthew Tkachuk sitting on the opposite side. We'll play poker for probably a solid six hours," defenceman Aaron Ekblad via Sportsnet.

The Panthers will hope luck is on their side in their Game 3 showdown against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.