The Ottawa crowd got exactly what it had been waiting for on Wednesday night: Brady Tkachuk, a goal, a flood of boos and, in the end, a Senators win that sent the home fans into a frenzy.
Tkachuk’s return to Ottawa had already been building toward this moment ever since May, when he gave the Senators the proverbial middle finger and then forced his way to the Florida Panthers in June. He landed with a team aiming to get back to glory after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, and with his brother Matthew already there, the fit was obvious - even if the exit from Ottawa made him public enemy No. 1 in Canada’s capital. The reaction got so heated that the team even ran a promotion for fans to trade in their Tkachuk jerseys.
Ottawa fans had Oct. 21 circled on the calendar, knowing the day their former captain would come back through town. What unfolded felt like something lifted straight out of pro wrestling.
The Senators even rolled out a tribute video for him, likely on principle, simply because he had once worn the captain’s “C.” Tkachuk responded the way a heel would, taking a victory lap and soaking in the boos from the Ottawa faithful.
Whether he leaned into the role on purpose, didn’t care about Ottawa anymore once he got what he wanted, or some mix of both, the whole thing made for appointment viewing. It also set the table for Wednesday.
And Wednesday played out like a classic wrestling card. The villain landed the first shot, with Tkachuk scoring a power-play goal midway through the first period to put Florida ahead 1-0 and send the crowd into a rage. But that was just the setup.
The Ottawa fans were ready for him all night, showering him with chants like “You can’t read!” and “You eat crayons!”
along with other vulgar chants that can’t be printed. They made sure he heard every bit of it.
Then came the payoff. Ottawa rolled to a 5-1 win, moved ahead of Florida into third place in the Atlantic Division, and left Tkachuk with the kind of night a villain never wants to have - a goal, but also a minus-2 finish and the sting of losing in front of the building that once called him captain.
All that was missing, really, was Stone Cold Steve Austin storming onto the ice to deliver a stunner.
The best part for the NHL is that this isn’t a one-night thing. These teams still have three regular-season meetings left, and now there’s real juice around every one of them. Florida and Ottawa meet in Sunrise on Nov. 25 and Jan. 18, then return to Ottawa on March 18.
For a league always looking for a fresh dynamic, this one arrived fast and loud. The NHL should be leaning all the way in.
In Other News...
Ottawa Fans Have Not Forgotten Brady Tkachuks Messy Exit
Brady Tkachuk is headed back to Ottawa this week wearing a different sweater, and it figures to be one of the louder emotional swings of the Senators season. The former captain, now with the Florida Panthers, left behind a fan base that once embraced him as the face of the franchise, only for his exit to come after a trade request that sat awkwardly beside his earlier public denials that he wanted out.
It is the kind of return that tends to stir up old feelings fast, especially in a building where supporters still remember how the story ended. Ottawa plans to welcome him with a tribute video, but the atmosphere is likely to be far less sentimental than the organizations gesture suggests, with Tkachuk himself admitting he is uneasy about what awaits him when he steps onto the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Brady Tkachuks Exit Is Forcing Senators Fans To Relive A Classic NHL Pain
Brady Tkachuks exit has sent Ottawa fans back to a familiar kind of NHL frustration, the sort that comes when a franchise loses a star and has to watch the rest of the league react to it. The Senators at least had a chance to soften the blow this time, turning the deal with Florida into draft capital and immediate help, which is more than some clubs have been able to say after losing a cornerstone player.
Still, the emotional comparison is hard to avoid because of how much control Tkachuk had over the destination, much like John Tavares once did when he left the Islanders. In Ottawa, the return can be measured and debated, but the larger question is how a fan base processes losing a player of that stature when the move was shaped from the start by the player himself. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Larkin Trade Buzz Just Got More Real For Red Wings Fans
The ripple effects from one stars changing trade landscape can reach well beyond Detroit, and Ottawa has reason to pay attention whenever Brady Tkachuk is part of the conversation. The Senators captain has already been central to the organizations identity, and his move to the Florida Panthers continues to linger as one of those developments that still invites questions about how it all came together.
Tkachuk has now made it clear the choice was his alone, and not something pushed by his father, Keith. He also said there were both personal and professional reasons behind it, while keeping the private details private, which leaves the hockey world with the broad outline but not the full story. For a Senators fan base that knows how much his presence mattered, it is the kind of clarification that answers one question while keeping the more interesting ones in the background. [Read more 🡒]