OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — A regular-season game in October wouldn’t normally attract much attention for the Ottawa Senators. But this one was different.
Former captain Brady Tkachuk was booed loudly in his return to Ottawa with the Florida Panthers, four months after requesting a trade from the only NHL team he’d ever known.
Fans drowned out a video tribute to Tkachuk with profane chants during Ottawa's 5-1 victory Wednesday night. The star forward opened the scoring with a power-play goal midway through the first period, but that was all the offense Florida could muster.
Tkachuk seemed to revel in the hostile atmosphere. He raised his stick in acknowledgment during the tribute and waved at fans with his trademark grin.
Drafted fourth overall in 2018, Tkachuk spent eight seasons with the Senators. A fan favorite for much of his tenure, he helped Ottawa return to the playoffs in 2025, ending a seven-year drought.
His relationship with some fans grew strained last season, though. Tkachuk and his brother, Matthew, a star winger for the Panthers, faced criticism over their “Wingmen” podcast, while Brady’s decision to attend a White House celebration following the U.S. men’s Olympic gold medal also drew backlash.
Speculation about Tkachuk’s future in Ottawa intensified late last season. At the team’s season-ending news conference in April, he acknowledged the rumors had become a distraction, insisting, “I have been fully committed to this team.”
Less than two months later, Tkachuk was traded to Florida, where his brother has won two Stanley Cup championships.
“I’ve talked about it a lot that, you know, there’s professional reasons, personal reasons why I wasn’t going to re-sign here, and a lot of those things have remained private between (Senators GM Steve Staios) and I,” Tkachuk said.
“It’s going to remain private. It just happened to work out this way.”
Senators owner Michael Andlauer previously suggested Tkachuk’s father, Keith, and brother Matthew influenced his decision to request a trade.
“Yeah, I saw the quote and he’s entitled to his opinion,” Tkachuk said. “I know for myself it was 100% my decision. I can make decisions for myself and my family.”
Tkachuk had dinner with several former teammates Tuesday night, but Tim Stutzle wasn’t among them.
“I haven’t seen him,” Stutzle said. “I have a chef at home, so I didn’t go for dinner.”
A number of fans altered their Tkachuk jerseys to express their displeasure. Season-ticket holder Neil Kennelly and his son Nolan both wore Tkachuk jerseys with an X taped over the captain’s C.
On the back, Nolan had covered Tkachuk’s name with the words “Wingmen is trash.”
“I’m not going to say I was crazy angry or surprised, but you know what? He doesn’t want to be here, don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Neil Kennelly said. “We want people who want to be here.”
A group of four friends had similar perspectives. All four had Tkachuk jerseys and had changed the name plate.
“He says he’s a big boy, but his brother and dad made the decision for him,” said Phil Grant.
Tkachuk got off to a slow start this season but entered the game as the NHL’s first star of the week after scoring natural hat tricks in back-to-back games.
Tkachuk said he arrived at the rink around 8:30 a.m. and was happy to reconnect with staff members and others he had grown close to during his eight seasons in Ottawa.
The 27-year-old admitted he hadn’t given much thought to how emotional his return might be, but he was looking forward to seeing the fans who supported him and his family during his time in the nation’s capital.
“I’ve had so many great memories here that will last forever,” Tkachuk said before the game. “And I don’t know what the exact emotion is going to be, but I just know how thankful and appreciative I am for everything that’s happened the last eight years.”
Fans cheered when Artem Zub checked Tkachuk on his first shift and he went down. There was a playoff atmosphere in the building, with fans chanting “We don’t need you!” and “Matthew’s better!” and “You betrayed us!”
Tkachuk said it had been difficult to hear and read speculation surrounding his departure, but added he knew he gave his all in Ottawa and that any negative reaction from fans wouldn’t change how he felt about the city.
“I know how I feel about this city, about this fan base, and I’m thankful and appreciative,” he said. “And no matter what the reaction’s going to be, it’s not going to change how I feel about this city and this fan base.”
Senators fans have endured their share of messy departures over the years, from former captain Alexei Yashin to Dany Heatley’s trade request and the eventual exits of captains Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson.
But none returned to Ottawa under circumstances quite as acrimonious as Tkachuk.
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