SUNRISE — Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk said he became a fan of college football thanks to Ole Miss, but when the Rebels play Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, he will be rooting for his Hurricanes.
If the Hurricanes beat Mississippi in Arizona on Thursday, they would advance to the college football national championship game which is Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Yes, that Hard Rock Stadium.
Tkachuk should be in the Panthers lineup by then — Paul Maurice said it’s possible he returns during one of the first four road games on this upcoming trip — and may be on the ice when the Hurricanes kick off in the national title game.
The Panthers play host to the San Jose Sharks that Monday night at 7.
For now, anyway.
If the Hurricanes were to win Thursday and play in the national championship game just down the road in Miami Gardens, Tkachuk says the Panthers need to change the start time of that San Jose game.
The Panthers would tip off around 7:10 that Monday night; kickoff for the national title game is scheduled to start sometime after 7:30.
“I think it would be pretty sick if they’re in the finals here,’’ said Tkachuk, who was the first NHL player to ever be the celebrity picker on ESPN’s College GameDay when it came to Coral Gables before the Miami/Florida game earlier this season.
“Some guys are trying to get our game pushed up a little bit so we can be able to watch it. They should be able to do that. … I think they’re trying to make South Florida Title Town, so it would be pretty cool if they could do it.’’
Tkachuk has been a vocal supporter of the Hurricanes since coming to the Panthers in 2022.
He and a number of his teammates tailgated and attended the Gators game in September, and Tkachuk has been spotted wearing various Miami shirts throughout the season.
On his podcast Wingmen with his younger brother Brady, Matthew Tkachuk said he wanted to try and bring Division I hockey to the University of Miami.
“It’s going to be tough, you can’t look past Ole Miss,” Tkachuk said when asked about the upcoming Fiesta Bowl, one which will be played in Glendale, Ariz., while the Panthers are in Montreal on Thursday night.
“Ole Miss is where I fell in love with college football so I’m kind of torn right now. But I have the personal relationships with some of the guys with Miami now, so I’m leaning towards them. But you can’t look past this one.”
Moving up a start time of a regular season hockey game in response to another big local sporting event has plenty of precedence around the league.
Earlier this season, for instance, the Toronto Maple Leafs moved up the start time of some games due to the Blue Jays being in the World Series.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have also moved up game times to accommodate Steelers games played that same day.
With Jan. 19 being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, schools and some businesses will be closed.
So, the Panthers moving up their game time against the Sharks may actually help attendance rather than if it remained at 7 with a good number of fans expected to choose to either watch the national championship game on TV or attend it in nearby Miami Gardens.
As far as the Sharks go, they will be in town early after playing in Detroit that Friday night.
The Panthers will also will be home from their road trip by Sunday.
An earlier start time Monday would certainly be feasible.
Of course, if Ole Miss wins on Thursday, we’ll see you in Sunrise at 7.
ON DECK: GAME No. 42
FLORIDA PANTHERS at TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
When: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
National TV: TNT/truTV
National Streaming: HBO Max
Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
Season Series (Leafs Lead 1-0) — At Florida: Leafs 4, Panthers 1 (Dec. 2); Feb . 26. At Toronto: Tuesday; April 11
Last Regular Season: Panthers Won 3-1
All-time Regular Season Series: Toronto leads 52-40-7, 7 ties
Last Postseason: Florida d. Toronto 4-3
All-time Postseason (Panthers Lead 2-0): Panthers d. Toronto 4-1 (2023 ECS); Panthers d. Toronto 4-3 (2025 ECS)
Up Next: Thursday at Montreal Canadiens, 7
