IT’S OKAY TO MEET YOUR HEROES

Vladimir Tarasenko was one of the best scorers in the NHL when he helped lead the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup in 2019. One St. Louis kid who grew up idolizing Tarasenko was Matthew Tkachuk. “It’s actually pretty crazy I’m on the same team with him right now,” Tkachuk said. “When it’s all said and done, we’ll be looking back [at this] as one of the coolest moments for me: seeing him score a ton of big goals. … I’m sure my 12- or 15-year-old self would be completely starstruck with me having this opportunity right now to play with him.”