Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk is trying to become the first American-born player to join one of the most exclusive clubs in hockey.
Tkachuk is joining Team USA at the IIHF world championships, scheduled for May 15-31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. The Americans are trying to repeat as champions after winning worlds for the first time in 92 years last season.
“I sure as hell hope so. I’m not going over there for a vacation,” Tkachuk told ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday.
With an IIHF world championship win, Tkachuk will join the “Triple Gold Club” for players that won gold at worlds, in the Winter Olympics and have raised the Stanley Cup in the NHL.
Tkachuk is a two-time Cup champion, winning back-to-back titles with the Panthers in 2024 and 2025. He helped Team USA win their first Olympic men’s hockey gold medal since the Miracle on Ice in 1980, defeating Canada in overtime in the Milan Cortina Olympics.
There are only 30 players in the Triple Gold Club, representing five nations: Canada (11), Sweden (9), Russia (7), Czechia (2) and Finland (1). There are three current NHL players in the Club, all of whom are Canadian: Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Corey Perry and Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews. The still-active Jaromir Jagr, 54, is also a member of the Club for Czechia.
This is Tkachuk’s first time playing in IIHF worlds. It’s a tournament held concurrent with the Stanley Cup Playoffs, meaning players on teams making deep postseason runs don’t play for their nations. Factor in injuries, family time and contract considerations, and NHL players often skip out on playing at worlds.
But Tkachuk said that pride he felt winning gold for the U.S. in February still lingers. With the Panthers having missed the playoff cut and Tkachuk feeling healthy, it was time to seek membership in the Triple Gold Club.
“I think it’s just such an honor to wear the USA jersey. Playing for the Olympics and then going here, I still have that feeling like I had in Milan. How could I not want to be a part of that again? I’m really excited to go,” he said on ESPN.
