Nick Suzuki didn’t have to look far to find the sentimental side of Saturday’s preseason matchup against Ottawa. For the first time, the Canadiens center was set to face his younger brother Ryan in actual NHL jerseys, and the moment clearly meant something to him.
Suzuki spoke with TSN before the game and made it plain that this was a different kind of meeting, even if the brothers have crossed paths plenty of times before. They’ve gone head-to-head in junior hockey, but that never quite matched the feeling of this one.
“Hopefully one day we’ll get an actual NHL game in,” he said. “But we’ll take the preseason game.”
That small concession carried the right kind of weight. Even without regular-season stakes, the matchup still marked a milestone for a pair of brothers who grew up around the game together and ended up reaching the league side by side.
Suzuki sounded genuinely proud when he talked about Ryan’s progress, especially after watching his playoff run in Chicago last season. He described it as special to see his brother “play professional hockey and do his thing.”
The admiration came through clearly. This wasn’t just the polite nod of an older brother; it was a player recognizing what his younger brother has built.
Their path to this point makes the whole scene feel even more familiar. The two spent their childhood playing road hockey constantly and traveling to rinks all over Ontario to watch each other play. Suzuki even laughed about how Ryan was always the goalie in their street hockey games, which gave Nick years of easy shots before either of them ever wore an NHL sweater.
That detail alone says plenty about the dynamic between them. Before they were NHL opponents, they were just two competitive brothers turning every driveway game into another battle.
Suzuki was also asked about the idea of taking a warm-up photo together, and he admitted it hadn’t really been on his mind. Still, he agreed it would be a nice moment, maybe one better saved for a regular-season game. He added that his parents were in town for the game too, and joked that his mom would probably love a picture like that.
It’s the kind of small scene that can disappear inside a preseason schedule, but it stood out anyway: two brothers who once chased each other around backyard rinks in Ontario, now sharing NHL ice on opposite sides.
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