Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk recently spoke out in defense of Auston Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs star, following a controversial hit by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas that ended Matthews' season. Gudas received a five-game suspension from the NHL's department of player safety for the incident.
Tkachuk didn't hold back when discussing the lack of reaction from Matthews' teammates during the game in Toronto. "If somebody is going to do that, you've got to police it yourselves during the game," Tkachuk said.
"When your captain gets taken out like that, there needs to be a much stronger response. Personally, if I got hit like that and nobody stepped in, I'd be pretty upset.
I love the way Auston plays."
Tkachuk and Matthews share a history, having been teammates for Team USA at the Winter Games in Italy last month, where they clinched a gold medal. Their friendship and mutual respect have only grown stronger over time.