High school buddies Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk both added their first championships to their professional resumes in the span of a week.
Boston Celtics star Tatum, 26, won his first NBA title when the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 17. Exactly one week later, Florida Panthers star Tkachuk, 26, won his first Stanley Cup when the Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the NHL Finals on Monday, June 24.
Tkachuk and Tatum both attended St. Louis’ Chaminade College Preparatory School, even appearing together in one of Tatum’s class projects where he explained his reasoning for attending the school.
“Two champs from St. Louis, are you kidding me right now?” Tkachuk told the What Chaos! Show on the ice following the Panthers’ emotional victory. “Chaminade, everybody there. All the teachers, classmates, you guys should be very proud.”
It didn’t take long for Tkachuk to receive confirmation. “We are proud, Matthew! And you should be too,” Chaminade principal Philip Rone wrote via X after the gritty Game 7 win.
Matthew Tkachuk: Stanley Cup Champion
Jayson Tatum: NBA ChampionTwo kids from St. Louis 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/aT0gHfDWgP
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 25, 2024
“We will be celebrating the rest of the summer at 425 S. Lindbergh BLVD! “ Rone added. “Also now known as ‘The Hilltop of Champions.’”
After the Celtics won their record-breaking 18th NBA title, Tatum was already thinking about his high school friend doing the same thing.
“Tkachuk, go get it done tomorrow,” Tatum told the NBA’s social team. “One kid from St. Louis wins a championship today. Let’s make it two tomorrow.”
At the time, the Panthers held a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals. They made things interesting by getting pushed all the way to a Game 7 but ultimately emerged victorious on home ice to earn the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup.
Matthew — the son of five-time NHL All-Star and St. Louis Blues legend Keith Tkachuk, who was never able to win a Stanley Cup during his 19 seasons in the league — expressed how much the moment meant while celebrating on the ice with his parents.
“This is for my family,” Matthew said. “Finally, the Tkachuk name will be on the Cup. This is for them. It was a long time coming but this was for them.”
Matthew is also the older brother of Brady Tkachuk, who plays for the Ottawa Senators.
“When I left the house to come to the game, I said I was going to win this one for Mom and Dad,” the Panthers star said. “I’m glad it came to fruition.”
