Brady Tkachuk’s return to Ottawa came with all the noise you’d expect - and then some.
On a night when the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators met in a highly anticipated matchup, Senators fans made their point in the third period during a break in play. Dozens of Brady Tkachuk jerseys sailed over the glass and landed on the ice at Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday night, a public show of disapproval aimed at the former Ottawa captain.
The scene may have been fueled by a tense scrap involving the Tkachuk brothers, who tangled with several of Brady’s former teammates in front of the Ottawa bench and each picked up roughing minors.
There was some warning this kind of reaction could happen. After morning skate, Tkachuk told reporters he would donate any jersey thrown onto the ice to the Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa, where the 27-year-old volunteered during his time with the Sens.
Ottawa didn’t let the moment shake it. Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring, but the Senators answered with five straight goals and rolled to a 5-1 win. Tkachuk finished with a minus-2 rating and four penalty minutes.
The jersey toss was only one piece of the night’s reception. Each time Tkachuk touched the puck, chants of “Brady sucks,” and “F- you, Brady” echoed from the crowd. It was the first time Senators fans had seen their former captain face Ottawa since he requested a trade this past offseason, with the Senators sending him to Florida for three first-round picks and a second-round pick.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]