The Florida Panthers are back-to-back champions thanks to their impressive performance on Tuesday night. The Panthers dismantled the Edmonton Oilers to claim their second straight Stanley Cup. Florida star Matthew Tkachuk contributed to the victory with a goal. However, he clearly looked like he was playing hurt.

To be fair, this is not a new revelation. In fact, Tkachuk confirmed he was dealing with an injury before Game 6 of this 2025 Stanley Cup Final. Now that the Panthers are champions again, the star forward revealed the extent of his injuries when speaking with the media.

“I tore my adductor off the bone, and I had some hernia thing, all on the same side,” the Panthers star told Darren Pang during the NHL on TNT broadcast. “Wanted to throw in the towel a bunch of times. I gotta thank a lot of people for getting me healthy enough. I'm sure I wasn't the easiest to deal with.”

Matthew Tkachuk's heartfelt reaction to Stanley Cup win

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates scoring during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena.
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Tkachuk led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the two seasons prior to 2024-25. However, he suffered his injuries at the 4 Nations Face-Off back in February. And he missed the remainder of the regular season as a result.

The Panthers star clearly had to get used to playing again when he returned. However, he did still make an impact. In the Final, he had three goals and seven points in six games. He finished the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 23 points in 23 games. All of this made his grinding through the injuries worth it.

“This one's more rewarding to me. Everything personally I had to overcome, I didn't know if I was going to be playing. It just shows how unbelievable our group is, our depth, everything. Them allowing me to get my footing throughout the playoffs. I owe a lot, I owe a lot of people a lot of thank yous.” the Panthers star said.

Tkachuk can rest up over the summer with another Stanley Cup ring on his finger. Of course, this group won't stop chasing the Cup now. Florida is going to push hard for a third straight Stanley Cup in 2026.