Matthew Tkachuk breaks down Canada/USA rivalry on Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk was on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon yesterday evening to discuss USA's 2nd place finish at the 4 Nations Face-Off and to promote the sport of hockey to Fallon's audience.

Now look... getting a spot on The Tonight Show is not as prestigious as it once was but the show is still an institution for a lot of American pop culture junkies. Personally, I haven't watched the Tonight Show in 20+ years but in its heyday it was the epitome of American culture. To get a spot on the show alongside Johnny Carson or Jay Leno was a big deal. Back when I watched late night television I was more a fan of David Letterman and Conan O'Brien than Leno, but I digress. Carson was simply before my time.

In any case, Tkachuk discussed USA's rivalry with Canada while on the show and talked about the opportunity he had to represent his country.

What's interesting to me is to hear is that Tkachuk considered the 4 Nations Final to be a bigger deal to him than Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. I wonder if he'd say the same thing if he lost the Stanley Cup? I imagine not.

Tkachuk would go on to talk about his Stanley Cup victory and shared a heartfelt story of sharing the Cup victory with his Dad Keith Tkachuk:

As much as I hated Tkachuk during the 4 Nations Face-Off (Proud Canadian hockey fan here), I have to admit that that he's a Hell of a hockey player and that the Tkachuk's are a Hell of a hockey family. They don't make 'em like that anymore!

For the full interview, watch below: