Grant Tkachuk (born September 24, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the ninth round (169th overall) of the

1987 NHL Entry Draft The 1987 NHL Entry Draft was the 25th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, and was the first draft held in the United States. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into pr ...

. Tkachuk played major junior hockey with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) Eastern Conference. On February 9, 1988, Tkachuk christened

Saskatchewan Place SaskTel Centre (formerly Credit Union Centre, and originally Saskatchewan Place; informally also known as ''Sask Place'') is an arena located in the Agriplace Industrial Park, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. With 15,195 permanent stadium seats ...

when during a WHL contest between the Blades and the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings (the arena's first ever event), Tkachuk scored the first ever goal on Saskatchewan Place ice, beating Brandon goalie George Maneluk at 12:35 of the first period. Following the conclusion of the season, Tkachuk was honoured for his outstanding play when he was named to the 1987–88 First All-Star Team. Tkachuk began his professional career in

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, registering 25 points and 26 penalty minutes in 64 games during his rookie season. He played the 1989–90 season in the International Hockey League (IHL) with the Phoenix Roadrunners, where he scored 40 points and earned 66 penalty minutes in 72 games played.

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* * Living people 1968 births Buffalo Sabres draft picks Canadian ice hockey left wingers Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) players Rochester Americans players Saskatoon Blades players {{Canada-icehockey-player-stub