‘I’m proud to be sharing the cover with them:’ Tkachuk brothers, dad grace NHL 26 covers
Photo Credit: EA Sports
On Monday, August 4th, Florida Panthers alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk was announced as the EA Sports NHL 26 cover athlete for the league’s yearly video game. Two days later, the gaming company unveiled the cover of the deluxe edition of the game, with Matthew’s brother, Brady, and father, Keith, joining him on the cover. The game is scheduled to be released on September 12.
Matthew will be the lone athlete on the cover of the standard edition of NHL 26. The cover features Matthew lifting the Stanley Cup following his second consecutive Stanley Cup championship with the Panthers. Matthew becomes the second Panthers player to appear on the main North American cover of an EA Sports NHL game, joining goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck (NHL 97).
“I’ve always tried to bring my own style to the ice, and seeing that captured in NHL 26 makes it feel like it is really me out there,” said Matthew Tkachuk.
Matthew was a big part of both Stanley Cup victories for the Panthers in 2023-24 and 2024-25. He was tied for the team lead in points (23) during his team’s most recent Stanley Cup title. He scored the game-winning goal in the championship-clinching game against the Oilers, a lopsided Game 6 win. Matthew had 22 points en route to the Panthers’ first-ever Stanley Cup win in 2023-24. The 27-year-old has 636 points in 642 games, splitting his time between the Panthers and Calgary Flames.
Matthew has grown to prominence over the last three years since joining the Panthers. While he has made a name for himself in the NHL Playoffs, he has also established himself as a star for his country. Matthew scored three points in three games with the United States during the NHL’s inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off. While struggling through a major injury, Matthew and the U.S. fought their way, both figuratively and literally, to the championship game, where they would ultimately lose to Canada.
Matthew’s younger brother Brady was also a big part of the U.S. hockey team. Brady also had three points and got into a fight, following in his brother’s footsteps. The 25-year-old got his first taste of playoff hockey this season as the captain of the Ottawa Senators. Brady led his team with seven points in six games as a young Senators team lost their opening-round series to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Brady has 404 points in 502 games, having tallied 50 or more points in each of his last four seasons.
Brady and Matthew were named to the first six players who will represent Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“I mean, just for them to both be named among the first six selected is amazing, said Keith Tkachuk.
“I know they enjoyed playing together at Four Nations. I mean, it was something to see. It really was. They had so much fun.”
Joining Brady and Matthew on the Deluxe Edition cover of NHL 26 will be their dad, Keith. A two-time All-Star, Keith played 18 years in the NHL. He registered 1,065 points in 1,201 games, just about evenly splitting his goals (538) and assists (527). Keith spent most of his NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes (10 years) and St. Louis Blues (nine years).
In 1996-97, Keith was the first American-born player to lead the NHL in goals (52). He is one of five American-born NHLers to score 500-plus goals and has the seventh-most points by any American in league history. Keith is one of four retired players to score 500 or more goals in their career and not yet be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Keith will represent the Blues on the NHL 26 Deluxe Edition cover.
"I always told the boys to play hard, be smart, and never lose their personality out there,” Keith said. “What you see now is two players with totally unique styles, and I’m proud to be sharing the cover with them.”
“Growing up, Matthew and I dreamed of playing just like our dad,” said Brady Tkachuk. “Even now, his influence on how we play and prepare remains huge. It’s an honor to be featured on the cover, and having him standing alongside us makes the whole thing even better.”
“My dad, Brady, and I are all unique and play the way we want to,” Matthew said. “Sharing the cover of NHL 26 is an extension of that."
This marks back-to-back years where EA Sports has a hockey family gracing the cover of their game.
The Hughes brothers graced the cover of the NHL 25 Deluxe Edition, becoming the first siblings to be featured on an NHL video game cover. New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes was the cover star for the standard edition in the U.S., while the oldest brother, Quinn, was featured on the standard cover for Canada and the rest of the world. 21-year-old Luke, the youngest of the three, joined his brothers on the Deluxe Edition cover.
The Tkachuks are the first father-son combo to be featured on the cover of an EA Sports NHL video game.
“Hopefully my ratings are better than Brady’s and Matthew’s,” Keith said.
