‘LET IT ALL FLY’: Tkachuk returns to face Senators insisting he gave ‘blood, sweat and tears’

The stage was set for an emotional return by Brady Tkachuk to the Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday night.

If Ottawa Senators fans wanted to boo Brady Tkachuk every time he touched the puck Wednesday night,  Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice wasn’t about to complain.

In fact, he had a simple message for the Ottawa faithful:

Let it all fly.

“However, they feel like,” Maurice said when asked how Senators fans should welcome their former captain. “That’s what this is all about. It’s OK. If you’re unhappy, come unhappy. If you loved watching him play, come on to watch him play. If you’re jilted, be jilted, but bring the passion.

“Bring whatever it is that you feel. Don’t come mad because the guy beside you isn’t happy. That’s what hockey and pro sports are all about. Let it all fly. We’ll enjoy it.”

Senators fans have had months to stew over the way their former captain left town. But while Tkachuk knows he can’t control how people feel about his departure, he does care about how they remember his eight years in Ottawa.

“I know for myself, it’s blood, sweat, and tears. I gave absolutely everything I had and tried to do that every single night,” Tkachuk said before the game. “Whether it was myself scoring a big goal or just bringing the emotion and physicality.

“I know after each game, you can always look in the mirror and know when I gave it all. So hopefully that’s my legacy of a guy that brought it 100% all the time.”

The break-up between the Senators and Tkachuk wasn’t pretty. His decision to ask for a trade after the organization had gone to great lengths to defend his leadership left a sour taste.

Tkachuk stated publicly that he was committed to winning with the Senators. Less than two weeks later, he told Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, there was no chance he’d re-sign when his deal expired in two years.

The list of four teams that Tkachuk gave the Senators – which included the Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights – was really only made up of one: Florida.

They had been waiting for this moment, and many wanted to let Tkachuk know his departure was neither expected nor appreciated. The fans here feel jilted.

Tkachuk didn’t feel he owed anybody an explanation. He said rooming with Matthew at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy that played a big role.

“You can’t really control the past at this point. Just have to accept it and move on to the next chapter. I mean, it’s tied into how I feel about this fan base in the city. I loved my time here. I loved not just my time on the ice. I loved everything about the community.”

Owner Michael Andlauer stated before the season that he felt Tkachuk’s father, Keith, and Matthew were in Brady’s ear, which may have been an influence in asking for the trade.

“I saw the quote. I mean, he’s entitled to his opinion, but I know for myself, it was 100% my decision,” Tkachuk said. “I’m a big boy. I can make decisions for myself and my family. I don’t need to be influenced by other people to make decisions. So if he’s entitled to his opinion. I’ll leave it there.”

You don’t get many days like this on the National Hockey League calendar. The game was shown nationally on Amazon Prime Wednesday Night Hockey, and the morning skate had a playoff atmosphere.

The visiting dressing room is small, and given the large number of accredited media, the club granted the Panthers access to the larger media centre upstairs to speak with the large contingent.

Tkachuk had dinner with some of his former teammates on Tuesday night after the Panthers arrived in Ottawa. Defenceman Jake Sanderson and winger Drake Batherson were among the participants. Tkachuk picked up the tab.

He arrived at the rink at 8:30 with the training staff because he wanted the chance to visit with some of his friends on the other side, including the equipment and training staff. Tkachuk had never set foot into the visiting dressing room, so a lot of this was new.

“I tried not to think about it because there’s important games before then,” Tkachuk said. “Of course, it’s always in the back of my mind. It was one kind of landed here, it hit now that we’re back here, and now the excitement, all the emotions, kind of came flowing in.

“I think I’ve said a lot. It’s a special place to me, and be able to be here, see some of my best friends and staff as well. And it’s been great so far. I’m just looking forward to this time.”

The Senators expected a physical test from the Panthers. Coach Travis Green opted to dress rugged winger Hayden Hodgson in place of newly-acquired winger Andre Burakovsky, who was a healthy scratch.

bgarrioch@postmedia.com