The recent Florida Panthers vs. San Jose Sharks game on Monday night quickly turned heated, thanks in large part to a high-profile collision involving Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk and Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais.
In what many are calling a clean but thunderous hit, Desharnais leveled Tkachuk with a booming body check early in the contest—Desharnais’s first game back after injury. The play sent Tkachuk flying and sparked immediate tension. The two had already exchanged words and minor scuffles in the first period, with Tkachuk appearing to spear Desharnais at one point before play escalated further.
The hit drew widespread attention across NHL circles and social media, with clips circulating rapidly showing Desharnais “welcoming” Tkachuk back in dramatic fashion. Reactions ranged from praise for the physicality (“Canada says Thank you” from some fans) to debates over whether it crossed any lines. No major supplemental discipline has been reported from the league so far, and the hit has been described in various outlets as a “big hit” or “boom,” with some viewers calling it clean.
The provided quote, however—”You can take the monkey out of the jungle, but you can’t take the jungle out of the monkey”—attributed to Tkachuk calling for a lifetime ban on Desharnais, labeling the play a “nasty tactic,” accusing him of consistent dirty play dating back to his Edmonton Oilers tenure, and framing the hit as proof of Desharnais’s “real character”—does not appear in public reports, posts, or video highlights from the incident.
Tkachuk is well-known for his agitating style, post-whistle antics, and willingness to stir controversy, often drawing penalties or responses from opponents. Desharnais, a big-bodied defenseman who spent time developing a physical reputation in Edmonton before moving to San Jose, has a history of engaging in rugged play without frequent major suspensions.
This latest clash fits a familiar NHL pattern: star agitators like Tkachuk drawing targeted physical responses, followed by heated rhetoric and fan debates over who’s truly “dirty.” Whether Tkachuk made such an extreme statement privately or in a post-game scrum remains unverified in available coverage—the quote’s colorful proverb (a twist on the classic “You can take the X out of the Y…”) would certainly make for viral soundbite material if confirmed.
For now, the incident highlights ongoing tensions in a Panthers-Sharks matchup that featured strong physicality on both sides. Tkachuk’s return to action after any absence was met with fireworks, and Desharnais delivered a memorable (and apparently effective) reminder that the NHL remains a tough league where old grudges and new rivalries collide on the ice.
As the season progresses, expect more scrutiny on these two players—especially if their paths cross again. In hockey, character judgments often come down to whose version of events you believe: the agitator crying foul, or the big man who just finished his check.
Tkachuk felt ‘back to normal’ for Panthers in season debut
Forward had surgery to repair torn adductor muscle, sports hernia in August
© Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images
SUNRISE, Fla. — Matthew Tkachuk hadn’t played in an NHL game since he won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last June, the forward scoring the game-winning goal before tossing his gloves in the air on a night that ended in a bath of Champagne.
Since then, the Panthers had played 47 games to start the 2025-26 NHL season. Tkachuk had played none, a result of his Aug. 22, 2025, surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia.
But Tkachuk returned to the ice at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday against the San Jose Sharks, playing 20:58 in a 4-1 loss. Tkachuk had three shots on goal, one hit, one blocked shot and was assessed a roughing penalty for an interaction with Vincent Desharnais at 8:41 of the first, on which the Sharks defenseman earned two minors.
“Personally, I will say it was such a relief and nice to be out there,” said Tkachuk, who was planning to finish his night up the road at Hard Rock Stadium where the University of Miami and Indiana University were battling for the College Football Playoff National Championship.
“Felt better as it went along. First period was weird, I will say. It was a little strange. Just nothing, nothing mimics a game. It was weird, but the second period felt a little bit better and then the third kind of felt pretty much back to normal.”
It was a good sign.
It was also why Tkachuk had waited so long to return, hoping that normalcy would prevail, that he would not have to worry about his health or his conditioning or, truly, anything beyond helping the Panthers move up in the standings.
Because, while the Panthers were full of relief to have Tkachuk back, there remain worries amongst the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, worries that Tkachuk shares, worries that he hopes to help alleviate.
“Let’s be honest, we’re not in a good spot right now, at all, in the standings,” Tkachuk said.
Asked what kind of responsibility he feels to change that, he said, “A lot.”
“I can’t afford to come back and just feel my way into it, and hopefully after five games feel back ready and helping,” he said. “It’s got to happen right away. We’re chasing too many teams. We’re too many points out. It’s hard to chase.
“Unfortunately we’re at that point where we’re scoreboard watching. But we have enough games to take care of our own business, but it’s got to start now. You don’t want to be chasing after the Olympic break and into the Trade Deadline. It’s too challenging. Got to get some points now. All these teams around us are going on runs. It’s up to us to do the same.”
The Panthers (53 points) sit four points out of the second wild card from the Eastern Conference, with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals all ahead of them in the chase. They are nearly as close to the New York Rangers, who are last in the East with 48 points, as they are to the Buffalo Sabres (57), who currently have the second wild card.
But they have Tkachuk back. That matters.
“It’s great,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “You see some of the plays he makes, he’s incredible. Awesome player. Brings a lot of fire to the game and drags everyone with him into the fight. So that’s a huge addition back to our team.”
Perhaps that fire rubbed off.
It was at 6:00 into the third period that goalie Sergei Bobrovsky raced across the ice to join a scrum that already featured Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, the two earning penalties for leaving the crease and fighting majors, the latter the first of Bobrovsky’s 16-season NHL career.
Bobrovsky later earned one of the biggest ovations — non-Stanley Cup edition — the Panthers have heard, as he returned to the ice to finish the game.
So, yes, perhaps Tkachuk’s return impacted them all.
“I thought he was pretty good,” coach Paul Maurice said. “His hand skills are just – he knocked some things down. … Played him a lot in the back half of that game. So yeah, we need him completing some of those plays that he made. We just couldn’t do much with it around it.”
As for the forward, he got as much out of the game as he had wanted to, with the exception of two points.
He had waited until he was 100 percent, something that wasn’t possible the last time he returned after a lengthy injury absence. That was for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round last season, on April 22, having been out since the Feb. 20 final of the 4 Nations Face-Off. He wasn’t going to come back early again.
But he wouldn’t be fully sure of himself until he took his first hit. That happened early and often, including a wallop by Desharnais at 17:22 of the first period.
“There were a couple, a couple scrums early, a couple hits,” Tkachuk said. “It’s what you need. You almost need that as like a last check it off that you’re good to go. I said it and I guess I had it coming.”
It had been almost a year since he had felt this healthy, back before the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“We’re not worried about him,” Maurice said. “We’re not. He’s gotten to a point that anything that happens going forward is going to be based on whatever happens going forward. He’s not carrying this injury into the rest of the season.”
Which is good. Because they’ll need him.
There is a long road ahead for the defending champions if they want a chance to defend once again.
“This is our challenge that we’re dealing with and we’re going to deal with it straight through to the rest of the year,” Maurice said. “Guys that come in will have to make an impact right away because we’re going to be chasing this thing right to the end.”
