Panthers Coach Reveals Matthew Tkachuk Played Game 4 With Fractured Sternum

We now know why Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk wasn't in the lineup for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

With the 2023 Stanley Cup Final in the books, we're going to start hearing more about some of the physical adversity players were dealing with through the postseason.

Moments after the Florida Panthers left the ice after losing the series to the Vegas Golden Knights, head coach Paul Maurice revealed why star player Matthew Tkachuk missed Game 5.

A fractured sternum.

"I'm not sure it's his collarbone, sternum, clavicle, SI joint is I think the words that I heard, but he'll heal fine," Maurice said.

What's wild is that he played in Game 4 with that same injury. Can you imagine going through that? Hockey players continue to be a different breed.

Tkachuk Suffered The Injury After Taking A Hit In Game 3

However, it was far from easy, and Tkachuk even needed assistance getting dressed for the game.

"He didn't dress for the game," Maurice said. "Somebody helped him get his gear on, somebody tied his skates, somebody put a sweater on him."

Maurice said that while he made it through the game, the next day it was clear that he wasn't going to be in the lineup for Game 5 in Vegas.

It doesn't take much sleuthing to figure out when Tkachuk broke his sternum. It happened in Game 3 when he took a brutal clean check from Vegas' Keegan Kolesar.

Tkachuk played one more shift then went to the locker room, but returned to finish that game as well.

The dude is a warrior, and he's not the only one. Maurice revealed another Panther dealing with broken bones and other injuries.

He said that Brooks Koepka's favorite player, defenseman Aaron Ekblad, suffered a broken foot in their first-round series with the Boston Bruins. That series was in April and he played the entire postseason!

We'll hear more about what players were dealing with but it never ceases to amaze me what they'll go through to try to win a Stanley Cup.

I'm also pretty sure none of these dudes had to be wheeled to the locker room in a wheelchair.

*cough*Anthony Davis*cough*

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