Kevin, or T-Bone as he is affectionately known, joined Glasgow in 2004 from Birmingham Bees of the English Championship; having previously played for Oxford in three Varsity Matches against Cambridge, at Twickenham.
Kevin quickly became a popular figure among Glasgow supporters, both on and off the pitch. He won the honour of playing for the Barbarians in May of 2006 against Scotland. Only a few days before that match, he was named Glasgow Warriors’ Player of the Year.
At the height of his power, he was one of the most dominant ball carriers in the Magners League.
Glasgow Head Coach Sean Lineen paid tribute to the 34-year-old:
"Kev has been a great servant to Glasgow. He is a committed team man and a tremendous person. He's been crucial to our success over the last few years as we've been building and has been ever-present in the squad. I wish him well for when he moves on."
"Kev has been a great servant to Glasgow. He is a committed team man and a tremendous person. He's been crucial to our success over the last few years as we've been building and has been ever-present in the squad. I wish him well for when he moves on."
But what does Tkachuk's retirement mean for Canada? Well, for starters, it is only the beginning of the end. Having left Glasgow before the last game of the season, the six time Canadian Captain will likely be attending the upcoming scrum camp at Shawnigan Lake School, in Victoria, where All Black's scrum coach Mike Cron will be working with Canada's front row.
It has not always been a smooth ride for T-Bone. Challenged by Canadian Coach Ric Suggitt to earn a starting role in the 2007 World Cup squad, Tkachuk put on dominant display against the Newfoundland Rock in a World Cup warm-up match, before suffering a broken leg that would see him miss out on the whole event. Canada could have surely used his power and experience in those first three see-saw games. We will never know what impact a healthy Kevin Tkachuk and Stan Mckeen (who also missed out with ankle injury) could have made.
Now, in 2011, the veteran prop-forward is one of Canada's most experienced professionals, and is set to play a key leadership role at the 2011 World Cup. With three matches set for the Churchill Cup in June, along with a pair of tests against the U.S.A. in August, there is little risk that Tkachuk will lose any of his cutting edge. In truth, the window of rest and strength training the next eight weeks provides may well be exactly what the doctor ordered. There is little time in the Magners League season for athletes to pack on more muscle and work on their explosiveness. Hopefully, this summer Canada will see the very best of Kevin Tkachuk, which is always a bad sign for the opposition.
It is far too early to look back on Kevin Tkachuk's career, in the same manner as Canadian fans are apt to do with other notables, such as Mike James and Rod Snow. One of Canada's greatest rugby servants still has a great opportunity to bring glory to the flag he has played under so often. What we can do at present, is to join Glasgow and Magners League fans everywhere in congratulating T-Bone on his long years of service.
It has not always been a smooth ride for T-Bone. Challenged by Canadian Coach Ric Suggitt to earn a starting role in the 2007 World Cup squad, Tkachuk put on dominant display against the Newfoundland Rock in a World Cup warm-up match, before suffering a broken leg that would see him miss out on the whole event. Canada could have surely used his power and experience in those first three see-saw games. We will never know what impact a healthy Kevin Tkachuk and Stan Mckeen (who also missed out with ankle injury) could have made.
Now, in 2011, the veteran prop-forward is one of Canada's most experienced professionals, and is set to play a key leadership role at the 2011 World Cup. With three matches set for the Churchill Cup in June, along with a pair of tests against the U.S.A. in August, there is little risk that Tkachuk will lose any of his cutting edge. In truth, the window of rest and strength training the next eight weeks provides may well be exactly what the doctor ordered. There is little time in the Magners League season for athletes to pack on more muscle and work on their explosiveness. Hopefully, this summer Canada will see the very best of Kevin Tkachuk, which is always a bad sign for the opposition.
It is far too early to look back on Kevin Tkachuk's career, in the same manner as Canadian fans are apt to do with other notables, such as Mike James and Rod Snow. One of Canada's greatest rugby servants still has a great opportunity to bring glory to the flag he has played under so often. What we can do at present, is to join Glasgow and Magners League fans everywhere in congratulating T-Bone on his long years of service.
Hopefully, there are bright days still to come.
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