Sports

Matthew Tkachuk causes a stir online after honest admission about wanting a baby boy

Florida Panthers star and Team USA Olympic hockey gold medalist Matthew Tkachuk recently announced that he and his wife, Ellie Tkachuk, are expecting their first child.

The couple shared the exciting news during an appearance on the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast. They’ve chosen an “old-school approach” by not finding out the baby’s sex in advance, opting to keep it a surprise until birth.

“We aren’t finding out,” he says, before noting he wasn’t originally on board with the plan,” he said. “We’re going old-school approach, which I wasn’t too fond of early, I will say, because it’s right there. All we have to do is look.”

During the podcast, Matthew Tkachuk made an honest admission about wanting a baby boy:

“Yes, I mean, at some point, would definitely have to have a boy,” Tkachuk tells Hannity, 64. “I’ve been explaining to [my wife], because she has just a sister [and] no brothers … what youth hockey is like. And I think I’m more excited for youth hockey one day than my current hockey right now.”

His honest admission about hoping for a boy caused a stir online. One tweeted:

“Women’s hockey just hit 100k players and one of the faces of the NHL is saying this. You can say you hung out with the women’s team but that means literally nothing when you’re essentially saying you won’t be happy until you’ve had a boy. Just mask-off misogyny.”

Women’s hockey just hit 100k players and one of the faces of the NHL is saying this. You can say you hung out with the women’s team but that means literally nothing when you’re essentially saying you won’t be happy until you’ve had a boy. Just mask-off misogyny.

Another chimed in:

“Does he know that girls can play hockey?”

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

“Someone tell him he can also be a hockey dad if he has a daughter,” a third user wrote.

“Who cares! But on a side note, may they be blessed with all daughters!!” one opined.

“If only Matthew Tkachuk could read, he’d know that women’s hockey exists too,” another chimed in.

“Does he think women can’t play hockey? Not the brightest fellow, is he?” added another.

Matthew Tkachuk is going to put up his son on ice as soon as he learns to “stand up”

Tkachuk expressed huge enthusiasm for introducing his son to hockey right away. When asked about getting the little one on the ice, he replied:

“Oh, I’m lacing them up,” he says eagerly. “The second he can get — at least stand up, I’m going to carry him around the ice.”

Matthew Tkachuk tied the knot with his longtime partner, Ellie Connell, in July last year. The wedding ceremony took place in their hometown area of St. Louis, Missouri.

The wedding came just after the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the second straight season, and it was a big family affair with around 350 guests, including plenty of NHL connections.