Former St. Louis Blues sniper Keith Tkachuk shared his reaction after being named to the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2026 class.

One of the best American-born hockey players of all time, Tkachuk had to wait until he was first eligible in 2013 to finally get the call from the Hockey Hall of Fame.

On Monday, Tkachuk joined a group of five players and one builder as being in the 2026 group of HHOF inductees.

Keith Tkachuk Reacts to HHOF Induction

In an interview posted by NHL.com, Tkachuk shared his thoughts on entering the Hockey Hall of Fame this November after so many years of waiting.

“Oh my gosh. I appreciate that. That’s incredible. It’s been a whirlwind the last few days, I don’t know if you guys know that,” Tkachuk said.

“You don’t go into your career thinking you’re going to be a Hall of Famer. You don’t play for that. But as you get older, when you get that call, it was truly the biggest honor I could have, and I’m thrilled. I don’t know how I’m going to react in November. It’s going to be overwhelming. But we’re doing this for our families who have sacrificed everything for us, so I’m looking forward to spending that time with my family, my grandkids, my wife, Chantal, who has sacrificed a ton for me, and I’m looking forward to going in representing all the teams that I played for, especially the St. Louis Blues. I’ve been here for a long time, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Keith Tkachuk Career Stats

In his NHL career, played in 1,201 regular-season games, scoring 538 goals and 1,065 points while adding 2,219 penalty minutes. “Big Walt,” as he was affectionately known for his hockey career, was one of the NHL’s best power forwards for his 18 years in the league. He played for the Winnipeg Jets, the Phoenix Coyotes, the St. Louis Blues, and the Atlanta Hawks, and was one of the top snipers in the league for many years.

Now, finally, after so many years of waiting to get in, the father of Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk is a Hockey Hall of Famer.