Matthew Tkachuk started off by having the best summer of his life when he won the Stanley Cup, but it quickly went bad following the passing of <a href='https://www.markerzone.com/hockey/stats/nhl/player/Johnny-Gaudreau-29548' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Johnny Gaudreau</a>. This summer, Matthew Tkachuk had everything to celebrate, having gotten a major feat finally stamped by winning the coveted Stanley Cup. But in tragic fashion, the joy was cut short on August 29th this year, when he was told of the sudden demise of his very close friend, Johnny Gaudreau. He was deeply heartbroken by that news. Since then, Tkachuk has grappled with the loss of <a href='https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/41314832/tkachuk-opens-death-johnny-gaudreau' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>his friend Johnny Gaudreau</a>. Recently, Tkachuk spoke with Pittsburgh journalist Josh Yohe about how some time back he struggled to cope with the grief. The pain of losing a friend so unexpectedly is something most can hardly imagine. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/JoshYohe_PGH/status/1838918554982212017'> </a></blockquote></div> <q>Matthew Tkachuk is going through a tough time these days. A summer of celebrating with the Stanley Cup came to an abrupt end when he lost his friend and former linemate, Johnny Gaudreau. They had planned to reunite at the Olympics with Team USA. I spoke with the very candid Tkachuk. Matthew Tkachuk's dream summer suddenly turned into a nightmare. - Josh Yohe</q> While they were both teammates for the Calgary Flames, Tkachuk's bond with Gaudreau went way beyond hockey. Tkachuk isn't seeking any sympathy; he's just missing a friend, Yohe said in his report. <q>I want to keep his memory very much alive. [...] This was supposed to be the best summer of my life, and I have some wonderful memories from the past few months, but at the end of this incredible summer, the unimaginable happened. Ever since I left Calgary and moved to Florida, all I've done is tell stories about Johnny. I was always talking about him. I hated being away from him, and we were always in touch. We were so excited to play together again. I know I'm lucky and that I have a good life, I'm a professional hockey player, but I won't lie to you-the past few weeks have been extremely, extremely, extremely tough... I still can't believe it. It's just so sad. All of it. - Matthew Tkachuk</q> As one thinks of the family of Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk during this sad moment, certainly Tkachuk is going to need some more time. <a href='https://www.habsfanatics.com/nhl-team/florida-panthers/matthew-tkachuk-grieves-the-passing-of-good-friend-johnny-gaudreau-he-is-not-doing-well' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>His loss is still overwhelming</a> as time goes on.