The rivalry between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers has produced several heated moments in recent seasons, with Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk also finding themselves at the center of the action. Their physical battles have generated plenty of speculation about whether the tension extends beyond the ice.
As those questions continue to follow both players, Hagel recently offered a candid look at how he views the matchup.
Brandon Hagel Explains Rivalry With Matthew Tkachuk
Appearing on the Cam & Strick Podcast, Lightning forward Hagel addressed the perception that he and Florida Panthers winger Tkachuk genuinely dislike each other. While the two have shared a few memorable confrontations, Hagel made it clear the rivalry is rooted in competition rather than personal feelings.
“I don’t know him personally at all, to be honest,” Hagel said when asked whether there was real hatred between the pair. “We kind of just went at it. I’m sure he goes at it with a lot of guys. We kind of went at it, and we never really fought.”
Although the rivalry has produced its share of physical moments, Hagel also expressed respect for Tkachuk’s willingness to engage. “I thought he was tough, to be honest,” he said, acknowledging the Panthers star’s mentality during their February run-ins in 2025 and 2026.
One of their biggest moments came during the 4 Nations Face-Off on February 15, 2025, when Canada and the United States met in a highly anticipated international showdown.
Just two seconds after the opening puck drop, Tkachuk challenged Hagel, and the pair immediately dropped their gloves at Montreal’s Bell Center.
Looking back on that experience, Hagel admitted the situation pushed him well outside his comfort zone.
“When he asked me at the Four Nations, I was like, ‘Oh boy, I’ve never squared up in my life. Ever. Now I’m doing it on the biggest stage,'” Hagel recalled. “My heart was just like, ‘All right, here we go.'”
That fight became the spark for one of the wildest openings to an international hockey game in recent memory.
Within the first nine seconds, three separate fights erupted as Brady Tkachuk battled Sam Bennett and J.T. Miller squared off against Colton Parayko. Matthew later revealed that he, Brady, and Miller had coordinated the opening fights through text messages before the game.
The intensity did not end when the final horn sounded. Hagel’s postgame remark that he fought “for the flag, not the cameras” generated another round of headlines, while Tkachuk brushed the comment aside as simply part of the emotions in the heat of the moment.
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Despite everything that has unfolded between them, Hagel insisted he has no hesitation about answering another challenge if the situation calls for it.
“When you’re in the thick of things, and obviously fighting him then and fighting him again, it’s kind of one of those things where I’ll do it whenever,” Hagel said.
