FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Brady Tkachuk made an immediate impression on the Florida Panthers.
It was Game 1 of the preseason, his first game in Panthers colors. He already had a goal and an assist, then took exception when someone decided to send Aleksander Barkov into the boards with a hit that the Panthers deemed excessive. So, he got into a fight to protect his captain, then headed to the penalty box with a satisfied look upon his face.
When he got there, Matthew Tkachuk nodded and smiled. Big bro approved, as did everyone else on the Florida bench.
“Brady fits right into the need that we had,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
Oh, brother. Everything changed for Florida when Matthew Tkachuk arrived in 2022. The move allowed the team to graduate from simply being a good regular-season club to one tough enough to reach three consecutive Stanley Cup finals and win two in a row. And now, his brother Brady — bigger, stronger and younger than Matthew — is with the Panthers as well, looking to win and win big, something that didn't happen in the first chapter of his career when he played for the Ottawa Senators.
It always seemed inevitable that they would team up. The family dream is now reality, and Florida — which opens its season Tuesday at Stanley Cup champion Carolina — can't wait to see how it is all going to work.
“It's a dream come true to play with players like that,” Barkov said.
How will one brother make the other one better, and more importantly, how will having two Tkachuks make the Panthers better? Florida hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito thinks he knows.
“Short answer is love," Zito said. “Anytime you can put love in your dressing room, sincere brotherly love, isn’t that really what a team is? And when those guys are together, you see it. ... They're both wonderful players and competitors. And I think Brady is going bring a lot of things individually to our team, in addition to the things that come as being the brother of another teammate.”
Brady Tkachuk was there when the Panthers won the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025, sitting in the stands with his family at Amerant Bank Arena in Florida, cheering on his brother, celebrating that Matthew got to live out their dream by winning a title.
In those moments, his mind wandered. He insists that he was fully devoted to Ottawa and loved being the captain of the Senators. But the team never won a playoff series in his time there, meaning it wasn't exactly a Cup contender.
The Panthers are — and probably became even more of a contender now that he's arrived.
“It's been amazing,” Brady Tkachuk said. “These guys have all welcomed me in with open arms.”
If the brothers aren’t playing hockey, they’re probably talking hockey. The show is called the Wingmen Podcast. The format is simple: the brothers are co-hosts sitting down with a guest or two, talking hockey or whatever else comes to their minds.
Officially, it’s a once-a-week deal, lasting about an hour.
Unofficially, it might seem like an all-day, everyday phenomenon for the Panthers.
“They’re like a constant show,” Panthers defensemen Aaron Ekblad said, “It’s like we’ve got our own podcast in the room as well. They’re the best.”
Entertaining as they may be behind microphones, the Tkachuks are hoping the real show comes when they’re on the ice together in the NHL for the first time. They’ve been teammates with Team USA — Olympic gold medalists from the Milan Cortina Games earlier this year — and this summer the Panthers made the move to put them in the same dressing room full-time.
“I’ve grown to love Matthew and everything he’s done for this franchise is incredible,” Ekblad said. "He’s a family man. He’s a philanthropist and he does all of the little things right. And I know that Brady falls in his footsteps closely. So, I'm really excited to get to play with him.”
There is always going to be a sibling rivalry, of course. There are still times the Tkachuk brothers will get on each other's nerves — and, the Panthers hope, the nerves of opponents. And Brady, forever and ever, will be Matthew's little brother, which means he'll be subject to jokes about his temper, his driving and more.
"Let's face it. How often do people get to play in the NHL with their brother?" Matthew Tkachuk asked. "That in itself is making this already — we haven’t even played a game yet — just the best experience ever.”
The Panthers can only hope that the experience keeps getting better.
See AP’s full NHL coverage here
FILE - United States' Brady Tkachuk (7), Matthew Tkachuk, center, and Zach Werenski (8) celebrate after their overtime win against Canada in the men's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
PUERTO SAN CARLOS, Mexico (AP) — Residents of Mexico’s Baja California Sur state boarded up homes and workers hauled dirt and rubble to shore up embankments as Hurricane Polo bore down on the peninsula Monday, threatening high winds, floods and mudslides. Meanwhile, Hurricane Nolo could still bring torrential rain to parts of Hawaii even as the storm edged away from the state.
In Puerto San Carlos, a fishing town of about 5,700 people, some feared high tides and pounding waves from Polo could breach barriers and send seawater into the community. Some families planned to head to shelters in Ciudad Constitucion, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) away, while dozens of people elsewhere in the state were evacuated.
“Civil Protection told those of us here in San Carlos to evacuate because this is a high-risk area. With the current tides, the expected waves and the wind, the earthen barriers they built (to prevent flooding) could give way,” Rocío Sánchez, a fisherwoman, said.
Polo was a Category 3 storm with top sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) Monday morning, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Forecasters said it would hit the Mexican mainland after lashing Baja California Sur with heavy rains, potentially causing life-threatening flooding and mudslides. It could bring heavy rain and flooding to parts of the U.S. Southwest later in the week.
“Polo is forecast to be near major hurricane strength when it reaches Baja California Sur later today, and is anticipated to be a hurricane when it makes landfall in mainland Mexico late tonight or early Tuesday morning,” the center said.
As swirling clouds and strong winds marked the region, Laura Velázquez, national coordinator of Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency, reported that Polo would make landfall later in the afternoon.
At a Monday morning news briefing, she urged residents to stay off the streets and seek shelter if their homes are at risk. She said travel will be suspended in the area where the hurricane was expected to make landfall and that ports across the region would be closed.
Nolo, meanwhile, was well southwest of Hawaii and moving away from the Big Island as the weekend drew to a close, but a wind advisory and high surf advisory remained in effect for parts of the island through Monday morning. Nolo’s maximum sustained winds increased to near 155 mph (249 kph).
Storm activity in the Pacific has been above average during what is already the peak of hurricane season, according to National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Oravec. He said that pattern is consistent with El Nino years, when the Pacific often sees more tropical storms and hurricanes.
With Polo approaching Mexico, the Mexican navy said it has gathered personnel and humanitarian aid in the ports of Guaymas and Mazatlan, on the Pacific Coast, and deployed three vessels that could ship aid to coastal communities isolated by the storm.
One of the towns in the hurricane’s projected path is San Juanico, a small fishing community on Baja’s Pacific coast. The town has only had full-time electricity for a few years, and still experiences frequent outages. There is concern that washed-out roads could block access to medical facilities.
“Our people are concerned about this event,” said Gloriely Robles Meza, a manager at a small hotel. “We haven’t faced such a worrying situation in many years.”
Robles Meza said Sunday that army soldiers arrived in San Juanico to prepare a shelter and provide support for possible emergencies.
Also Sunday, Tropical Storm Rachel formed well off Mexico's southwest coast. The hurricane center said Rachel had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (82 kph) and was located about 230 miles (370 kilometers) south-southwest of Acapulco. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
Forecasters said Nolo’s outer bands could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with parts of the Big Island possibly getting up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain. Heavy rain also was expected on the other islands.
More than 120 National Guard members were activated, part of roughly 400 statewide after the governor issued an emergency proclamation. President Donald Trump recently approved an emergency declaration, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance and provide funding support.
Hawaii residents are still recovering from Hurricane Lala, which produced heavy rain and winds strong enough to sweep about 100 homes off their foundations on the Big Island.
Video journalist Eugene Garcia and photographer Gregory Bull contributed from Hilo, Hawaii.
This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Nolo, left, south of Hawaii; Hurricane Odalys, middle, and Hurricane Polo, right, off the coast of Mexico, in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
Workers build a barricade to help keep water out of their town as Hurricane Polo approaches in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
A man boards up a house's windows as Hurricane Polo approaches in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Workers build a barricade to help keep water out of their town as Hurricane Polo approaches in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Peggy McKibbin looks at where floodwaters from nearby Hurricane Nolo run past widespread damage from last month's Hurricane Lala Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Naalehu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Fire Captain Lui Sales of the Hawaii Fire Department looks for residents to help as rainwater from nearby Hurricane Nolo flood a section of Mamalahoa highway Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, near Naalehu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A man rides with his son near where a home was destroyed during last month's Hurricane Lala, as floodwaters from Hurricane Nolo recedes Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Naalehu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
