#florida panthers

[lavendergaia]

Besides your favourite teams, which team do you enjoy watching the most?

My favorite team is the Flyers, but I might love watching the Panthers a little bit more? A scrum could literally break out at any time, someone is going home injured, and also Marchand could lick someone. But I love my Flyers guys the most.

[sidneycrosbysfatass]

I giggled an embarassing amount of time

[hycohyco1]

I want to know what made u so fascinated by Matthew Tkachuk? Like is there a reason why or something sparked in your brain to be like, “yeah matthew is my man”

Oh, what a good question.

I wouldn't call Matthew "my man" though—that feels a bit too private and possessive, and I like to keep some boundaries!

To start with how I even fell down this rabbit hole. I was originally active in other corners of the hockey RPS community. Back then, there was always this constant, low-key background noise of people trolling Matthew and Brady, mocking them and their fans. That made me curious—wait, who even is this guy? If he's supposedly done all these awful things and "deserved" to be canceled, why are people still making such a big deal out of it? So I did some research work to see if he really was as utterly unlikable as they claimed.

Because, you know, even when you strongly dislike someone or something, I think it's worth forming your own opinion instead of just absorbing secondhand narratives wholesale. (Although honestly, if you truly hate someone, the easiest solution is probably just to stop giving them any attention at all, lmao.) And well... that's how I ended up getting completely hooked on him.

At first, it was definitely his charming "regression" energy. You know the drill, the ear tugging, a nearly 30-year-old grown man's pouty face, the oral fixation issue, or refusing to let go of a pink stuffed pony.

Credit and thanks to the original GIF creators!

And of course, as an AO3 heavy-surfer, I had definitely crossed paths with mattdrai (the #7 ranked ship on there). Then came the "infamous" "bridesmaid" lore, "off the ice" lore, the Alberta Battle—that kind of deliciously twisted history is always enough to make you stop and stare.

But fundamentally, what actually kept me around is Matthew himself. What I'm about to say might cause some friction, and I'm not entirely sure this is a "safe" topic to unpack, but as a Matthew fan and a fanvid creator (if I dare call myself one), I'd love to share my honest take on him.

Regarding all the various reasons people have been trying to cancel him, I actually went back and looked at the original sources myself. What I found was a noticeable gap between the original context and the way some of those moments were later discussed online.To me, a lot of the judgments (not to mention the outright venom) toward Matthew and Brady felt much more absolute than the actual material supported. Online conversations often move very quickly toward a simple final verdict because that kind of framing spreads more easily, leaving much less room for nuance or context. Personally, after looking into the full background myself, I came to the conclusion that supporting Matthew Tkachuk does not create a severe moral conflict for me.

If I had to narrow down the core of why I love him, it would be this: He's a complex elite hockey player with an underlying altruistic streak, a willingness to sacrifice for others, genuine kindness, fierce loyalty, a strong sense of responsibility, and an unshakeable sense of self.

The more material I consume—Wingmen, on-ice and entertainment interviews, career profiles, plus discussions with fellow fans—the more I notice a consistent pattern: Matthew Tkachuk consistently shows empathy, emotional awareness, sharp social intelligence, high IQ on and off the ice, and a strong drive to express himself.

My personal observation is that he seems unusually capable of stepping into different roles depending on what the moment requires. For instance, actively playing the villain and pest on the ice to stir things up—which is infinitely more useful for the team than playing it safe to avoid mistakes (as seen in Faceoff Season 1).

Beyond the obvious skill required for that, there is something about him that fascinates me and, in a strange way, makes me a little sad: his ability to compartmentalize emotions and step into whatever role the situation demands. His weird ability to become whatever the moment needs, while somehow still remaining unmistakably Matthew.

Emotionally speaking, watching him bounce around like a chaotic court jester—simultaneously hilarious, annoying, adorable, and a little bit clumsy—is just a whole experience.

If you watch Wingmen, you can probably tell Matthew Tkachuk is a level-10 Twitter surfer; theoretically, he definitely knows what people say about him online. But his reaction is is similar to how he handles people criticizing him for being a pest on the ice or mocking him for diving. Once it becomes clear that defending himself won't change the conversation, he simply chooses not to engage. No more explanations.

I really admire someone who can maintain their core sense of self, shoulder the consequences of their own expression, and keep going right in the middle of massive public pressure, controversy, and misunderstanding.

As for whether he actually cares? Well, just look at the fact that even after winning two Stanley Cups, he still can't resist taking shots at Drai being the team's deadweight (off the Ice) and bringing up the whole bridesmaid bit on Wingmen.

Credit and thanks to the original GIF creators!

One moment that genuinely hit me was from that Wingmen episode on July 1st, 2026. They were asked about who inspired them outside of hockey. You could tell there's a 90% chance it was a totally off-the-cuff, in-the-moment response—unless hey somehow rehearsed not just the answer, but the exact process of arriving at that answer.

Matthew Tkachuk's answer was the working-class families working multiple jobs just to bring their kids to come watch Panthers games. He said that "when you're doing like a hard workout or you're in a slump", he thinks of those families all the time and reminds himself how lucky he is and that "how can you not have a smile on your face every single day?"

Whether it was completely genuine or not, that exact moment meant a lot to me. Of course, I can't judge a person's entire character based on a single interview snippet. But as an observer and creator, that unscripted moment revealed a value system I deeply respect: he understands that what he has is not something to take for granted, and he recognizes the connection between himself and the ordinary people who support him.

No matter what mistakes he has made or might make in the future, the thing that manifested in that specific moment was... beautiful to me.

Anyway, there are still so many little things I adore about him that I can't even put into a neat list—like playing through the Stanley Cup Finals with a broken sternum and torn oblique muscles. So many moments, so many details. When it comes down to simply looking at him as a person, the more I learn, the more I appreciate him.

⚠️Of course, this is all just a character portrait built on public records. I don't pretend to actually know Matthew Tkachuk, and I have no clue what he's like when the cameras are off. But as an observer and a creator, all these materials have shaped this current understanding of mine.

[29fleurys]

Marchy morning

[chimaeracrew]

Not Catsmin posting this photo of them being chatty n gossipy

[ambersvividart]

Headshot sketch of my character, Cazera Delmont!

She's a Florida Panther 🥰

[hycohyco1]

Same silhouette, different vibe.

Love the dizzying effect of the world spinning around on the left.

Who would've guessed the absolute slay stride on the right came from someone who had just fractured his sternum?

Ruminating 🐭thew

run boy run

another mattdrai/mattsasha hellscape，if you know what i mean😉

source: NHL: Faceoff S1

[iltalintu]

Barkov at a gig with President Stubb