Matthew Tkachuk did absolutely everything he could for the Florida Panthers in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he was forced to watch the Vegas Golden Knights win the title from the press box after breaking his sternum in Game 3.

Still, he was the best player for his team throughout the postseason, and he made a heartbreaking admission after Florida finished as the runner-up despite being a No. 8 seed.

“The next few days [after Game 3] were pretty tough,” the superstar said, according to NHL.com's Alain Poupart.

“Just getting in and out of bed. Needed help getting onto a table here to get treatment, but everybody played a huge part in getting me to play that game. I mean, my brother was staying with me and had to get me out of bed and get me dressed to come to the rink, and I had guys tie my skates and putting on my jersey and just helping me with everything.”

The fact that the American was able to even take the ice for Game 4 after not being able to get out of bed by himself is truly astonishing, and proves that he is a warrior in every sense of the word.

Tkachuk sustained a broken sternum on a hit early in Game 3 from Keegan Kolesar — he returned to the game and scored the tying goal late in the third as Florida won its only game of the series.

“I'm happy that I was able to attempt and play that [Game 4], but I knew I wasn't myself,” Tkachuk continued, per Poupart. “There were 12 better options than me for forwards basically at that point. I knew I wasn't myself, but I tried to give everything. I can hold my head high knowing that I did everything possible to try to play.”

The Hart Trophy finalist was his team's Most Valuable Player throughout the playoffs, and certainly earned a ton of respect from across the hockey world for his play.

He was instrumental in helping Florida reaching hockey's ultimate series for the first time since 1996, leading his team in postseason scoring with 24 points in 20 games after an exceptional regular season shhowing.

Although it wasn't quite enough to get the Panthers over the finish line, Matthew Tkachuk and his teammates should keep their heads held high after an electric run to the Stanley Cup Final.