- Matthew Tkachuk says he needed private security and a police escort just to play a game in Edmonton
- His hits on Zack Kassian and the “stay off the tracks” line made him public enemy No. 1 with Oilers fans
- Read below for the full story from the Wingmen podcast, plus video of the Kassian incident
Matthew Tkachuk was hated enough in Edmonton that the Flames gave him a personal security detail.
On the latest Wingmen podcast, Tkachuk explained that the Battle of Alberta got heated enough that the team brought in private security and a Calgary cop just to get him from the hotel to the rink.
“The hotel in Edmonton is just across this little archway to the rink. Everybody just walks there before games,” Tkachuk said. “They brought security, our own security, and maybe a cop from Calgary up to stay with us.”
While his teammates strolled over on foot, Tkachuk got the bus treatment.
“Everybody walks to the rink for the games. They’re like, ‘Matthew, you have to take the bus.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, doesn’t really make much sense. Bus for one,'” he said. “It was just me and the security and cop.”
Here’s Tkachuk telling the story:
The bad blood traces back to a run of hits on Zack Kassian. After one of them, Tkachuk dropped the line Oilers fans still haven’t forgiven him for.
“If he doesn’t want to get hit, then stay off the tracks,” Tkachuk told reporters at the time.
Take a look at the Kassian dust-up that started it all:
By the time Tkachuk came back to Rogers Place, the whole building was waiting for him.
“Warmups was insane,” he said. “I had more signs and more hate stuff and just chirps. There was like turtle costumes in the crowd.”
He got the last laugh anyway. Calgary traded him to Florida after the 2022-23 season, and he won back-to-back Cups over the Oilers in 2024 and 2025.
