Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk Knows hockey culture is steeped in tradition, but he's not particularly concerned about ruffling some feathers.

Tkachuk, 27, K Won a Stanley Cup with the Panthers Last season, enjoyed pushing boundaries both with his hard-nosed style of play on the ice and off the ice with his colorful personality.

As the American-born player explains it, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"With hockey and my personality, playing in South Florida, being born in Arizona and being from St. Louis, I have the ability to reach different pockets of people in America," Tkachuk said exclusively. our weekly Ahead of the NHL's inaugural 4 Nations face-off, which kicks off on February 12. “I'm very lucky in that sense. I just think, why not be myself? Why not waste so much time having the time of my life and behave like myself? Why don't I show my personality?

He added, “That's how I approach it. I think some people like it, some people don't. But I will never change myself.

Tkachuk, an 18-year-old NHL veteran Keith Tkachuk"This generation of players is feeling the freedom to step outside the box more than ever before," he said.

"I think the guys' mentality has changed a little bit," Matthew explained. “They're able to express themselves more than they were 10, 15, 20 years ago. And I think that's great. I think it's great for personality. I think it's great for the fans to relate more to the players, to see more of them. I think it's very important for the development of the game."

Matthews will help expand hockey's reach even further when he represents the United States in the first 4 Nations Face-Off, pitting the league's best players against the best-on-best tournament from the US, Canada, Sweden and Finland. Joining Matthew on Team USA will be his younger brother, the Ottawa Senators star Brady Tkachuk.

Competition aside, Mathew is looking forward to showcasing the beauty of the sport's international appeal.

"One thing I really like about hockey is that you have so many different people from different parts of the world," Matthew said. “Hockey is the one thing that brings them all together. It doesn't matter if you're from Russia or Finland or Sweden, in the grand scheme of things, you're pretty much the same way you grew up in the game. It's pretty cool."

He added, “I love getting to know teammates from different backgrounds and from different parts of the world. Some of my great friends in hockey come from places that are different than where I come from."

Along the way, Matthew will look fresh thanks to the introduction An off-ice ambassador For fashion and lifestyle brand Perry Ellis.

"I just love their stuff," Matthew gushed. “I'm so excited to not only wear it to the 4 Nations, but to wear it on a regular day for myself. I think it looks great and for them to be with us at USA Hockey, I think everyone is going to love it."

The 4 Nations face-off will drop the puck on February 12, with games in Montreal and Boston followed by the championship game on February 20. Tickets for all 4 Nations face-off games are available for purchase via Ticketmaster.com.