Brady Tkachuk’s first NHL appearance in Ottawa since leaving the Senators was met with sustained hostility Wednesday night, as fans at a sold-out Canadian Tire Centre booed and heckled their former captain throughout the game.
Tkachuk had requested a trade earlier in the year to join the Florida Panthers alongside his older brother and podcast co-host. The decision angered many Ottawa supporters, some of whom described him as disloyal and said they felt he had abandoned promises to help deliver a Stanley Cup.
The reaction began whenever Tkachuk stepped onto the ice or touched the puck. Fans altered his Senators jerseys by replacing his name with that of new captain Thomas Chabot, while others threw jerseys onto the ice. Tkachuk had said on his Wingmen podcast that tossed jerseys would be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.
A video tribute played during the game, and Tkachuk waved as the crowd continued its chants. He then scored the opening goal midway through the first period on a power play, but Ottawa recovered and won 5-1.
Tkachuk said afterward that he held no hard feelings and tried to enjoy returning to the arena, where his former teammates had recently been his teammates. He also called the Ottawa crowd passionate. Senators head coach Travis Green described the contest as nearly equivalent to a playoff game, citing its emotion, physicality and intensity.
Tkachuk spent eight seasons in Ottawa after the Senators selected him fourth overall in the 2018 draft.