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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 3066161" data-attributes="member: 2012">Tkachuk reports to Blues in better shapeCanadian Press9/15/2006 1:56:30 PMKeith Tkachuk hit the ice Friday on the first day of St. Louis Blues training camp some 30 pounds lighter after a summer which saw the veteran winger rededicate himself in the gym."Feels like my first training camp," he told The Canadian Press between on-ice sessions.Saturday will mark the one-year anniversary that Tkachuk was suspended by the Blues for showing up overweight and failing a physical.A rigourous off-season training program has the 6-2 Tkachuk down to 229 pounds. He tipped the scales at 263 pounds last Sept. 16 when the Blues suspended him."I knew I had to be better than last year. Obviously I wasn't ready," Tkachuk said from St. Louis in his thick New England accent. "This year I was determined for pride. I want to go out and try to be one of the top wingers in the game. I want to get back to that. And I felt I needed a lot of work."Obviously the season we had last year (they finished last in the NHL), we had plenty of time off and I got right at it. I worked hard with our strength coach. I feel really good."He'd rather forget last September. He was the butt of jokes all season long around the league and he knows it."It was difficult," said Tkachuk, who returned to the team two weeks later but was limited to 41 games because of groin and rib injuries. "It was obviously embarrassing and I dealt with it and it's over with. It makes you a stronger person, it really does. The most important people in your life is your family and your teammates."That's the only people that I was embarrassed for. They supported me throughout this whole process. It was a difficult year last year but it's over with. It's a fresh start. I'm ready to go."Aside from the strenuous workout regimen, Tkachuk has also followed a strict diet."Lots of fruits and vegetables and stay off the beer," he said with a laugh. "But seriously, I'm 34 years old, I have to be more careful, that was the most difficult part."Carrying the extra weight last season could not have come at a worst time. The new NHL bounced back from the lockout with rule changes that sped up the game and opened up the scoring."Absolutely," said Tkachuk. "It's still going to be physical but you need to be able to move out there. It's a skating game more than ever. If you watched the playoffs you saw how fast it was and you have to be willing to skate and be able to move out there. That's one of the approaches I took this summer and it worked."Despite only playing 41 games Tkachuk put up 36 points (15-21), enough for the Blues to pick up the US$3.8-million option left on his contract.But not before Tkachuk and new Blues owner Dave Checketts had a heart to heart."I had a great talk with Mr. Checketts, we put everything on the table," said Tkachuk. "I think both sides are looking to prove themselves to each other. I'm very happy they picked it up. I was ecstatic because my family loves it here. It's a great place to raise a family here so that was important."Tkachuk has 446 goals and 422 assists in 897 career regular-season games with Winnipeg, Phoenix and St. Louis. He has scored 30-plus goals in eight of his 14 NHL seasons, and has had 50-plus goals twice.He's hungry to return to the form that has made him one of the NHL's premier power forwards."I want to be at the top of my game and help this team win," he said.Tkachuk isn't the only Blues player with motivation this season. Fellow veteran winger Bill Guerin is equally hungry after being bought out by Dallas. Veteran centre Doug Weight also wants to show he's got lots of hockey left."We have a lot to prove here," said Tkachuk. "We have to prove to our fans, we have to prove to ourselves. We need to get back into the playoffs. As you saw last year, anything can happen in the playoffs. And I like the decisions we made."We brought in some great people, Bill Guerin, a veteran goal-scorer, bringing back Dougie, re-signing Dallas Drake, bringing in Jay McKee who's going to log lots of minutes, Martin Rucinsky is a heck of a player, Manny Legace in net, Dan Hinote has won in Colorado and finally we brought in Radek Dvorak."I'm happy, these are big pieces of the puzzle. I look our chances of making the playoffs this year."Especially with a trimmed and fit Keith Tkachuk.</blockquote>

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