Some families’ core memories may include playing sports together when the children were young. Sports are a fun way for siblings to bond and grow with each other through competition, especially when playing hockey. Here, they get the chance to rough it out on the frozen pond, or at the rink with skates and sticks, in hopes of making it to the big leagues one day. In fact, siblings have been quite successful in the NHL and have been, or currently are, some of the league’s best players. Here are the stories of two iconic brother duos from then and now, and how they’ve shown sibling power is the key to success.
The Esposito Brothers
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Going back in time, the Esposito brothers are probably the first iconic set of NHL siblings. Phil played four seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, nine with the Boston Bruins and six with the New York Rangers. Anthony “Tony” played one season with the Montreal Canadiens and the rest of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, totaling 15 seasons with the organization. Both brothers grew up to become multiple-time award winners. Tony is a one-time Calder Memorial Trophy winner for best rookie, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner for best goaltender and a Stanley Cup Champion. Phil is a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner for scoring the most points in the league in a season, a one-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner for being the NHL MVP, a one-time Lester Patrick Trophy winner for his service to hockey, a two-time Ted Lindsay Award winner for being the most outstanding player and a two-time Stanley Cup Champion. They are currently the first and only set of brothers inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Though both brothers had many accolades to their names, they both came from humble beginnings, playing on lung-chilling Canadian winter days on outdoor ponds and rinks. Phil and Tony started skating at ages 3 or 4 on a rink made by their father, and would develop their lower body strength at their grandparents’ house. As they grew up, they began playing with the other neighborhood kids. Tony recalls that he and his brother would be out from after school until after the sun went down, only taking a break for supper, during which they would be fully dressed in their hockey gear.
The neighborhood pickup games are what the brothers attribute to giving them the grit and motivation to play the game well.
“Dad didn’t drive us, but he’d come and watch us play, standing in the snowbank,” Phil said. “It seemed to us that if we won, he’d drive us home. If we lost, we had to walk. That’s all the motivation we needed to win.”
Of course, like all siblings, they had their spats. For instance, Phil got mad at Tony after they lost one game because Tony’s glasses fogged up so terribly to the point where he couldn’t see the puck. However, like all brothers, they weren’t mad at each other for long.
The Esposito brothers have had majorly successful careers. However, both emphasized that none of it would’ve been possible without their humble outdoor rinks, brutally cold pick-up games and the ups, downs and strength of their sibling bond.
The Tkachuk Brothers
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Coming back to the modern day, we have the Tkachuk brothers, Matthew and Brady, who arguably have some of the best personalities, and are the most dominant sibling duo in the NHL. Just this past summer, Matthew, who is an alternate captain for the Florida Panthers, won the Stanley Cup for the first time. Brady, who is the captain of the Ottawa Senators, is the youngest Senators captain in franchise history, and has made four All-Star appearances.
Unlike the Espositos, the Tkachuks did not grow up playing on outdoor neighborhood rinks and ponds in cold, Canadian winters. In fact, the boys spent most of their childhood in the American south, and they practically grew up at different NHL rinks. Their father, Keith, was a NHL great, being one of the only six Americans to score 1,000 points, and a five time All-Star. He was captain of the then Phoenix Coyotes when the boys were born. Shortly after, Keith was traded to St. Louis, where the boys grew up playing for the St. Louis AAA Blues Hockey Program. Both brothers played for the US National Development Team Program, before Matthew moved on to play with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League and Brady went to play for Boston University in the NCAA.
Though both went separate routes after the USNTDP, the brothers have seen plenty of opportunities to play on the ice together representing different NHL teams. Though they get pretty feisty when on the ice together, often mouthing off to each other and putting on a good show for the fans, they have sworn that they will never get in a fight. Both Matthew and Brady say that they are staunch supporters of each other.
“We are each other’s biggest fans,” Matthew said in an interview with NHL.com. “When we play against each other now, especially [being] in the same division, we have to beat each other, our teams have to win. It creates that healthy competition. It’s a very good relationship the two of us have.”
For instance, when Matthew won the Cup, rather than showing the tiniest bit of jealousy, Brady was overcome with excitement and emotion for his brother. Matthew saw this victory as an opportunity to share his childhood dream with Brady, rather than shine the light totally on himself. From the first time they skated together, to Matthew hosting the Stanley Cup last summer, the brothers certainly have been each other’s biggest fans.
Though both the Espositos and the Tkachuks represent different time periods in NHL history, they all show that the power of the bond between brothers is instrumental for success on and off the ice.
Edited by Jenna Mandarano
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