Brady Tkachuk Met With Boos in Return to Ottawa
Former Senators captain Brady Tkachuk received a hostile reception from the home crowd in his first game back after forcing a trade.
Brady Tkachuk was met with boos from Ottawa Senators fans in his first game back since requesting a trade and subsequently being dealt to the Florida Panthers. The reception was a stark contrast to his previous status as a fan favorite.
During the game on Wednesday night, Tkachuk, 27, was introduced to a chorus of boos. A tribute video shown to the crowd, intended to honor his eight years with the team after being drafted fourth overall in 2018, appeared to amplify the negative emotions. Tkachuk responded by smiling and raising his stick in acknowledgment of the crowd's reaction.
"Were they ruthless?" Tkachuk said to reporters after scoring Florida's lone goal in a 5-1 loss. "It was good, shows the passion that they have. One chapter closed and, like I said, just an exciting, new chapter that we’re living in. It was nice be in front of that passionate fan base."
Tkachuk had signed a seven-year, $57.5 million extension and was named team captain. However, behind closed doors, he requested a trade, a move that ultimately allowed him to play alongside his older brother, Matthew Tkachuk, with the Panthers. The Senators traded him in June for four draft picks, including three first-rounders.
Tkachuk pushed back against suggestions that he was urged by his brother or father, Keith Tkachuk, a former NHL player, to seek a trade. "There’s professional, personal reasons why I wasn’t going to re-sign here," he stated before the game. "A lot of those things remain private... Just happened to work out this way."
He also addressed reports that he pushed back against. "There was some stuff out there that wasn’t true and I guess questioned where my mind has been at for the last little bit. That was probably the hardest part of this process, with how untrue that was... I’m excited for this next chapter and the future memories that will come with that."
Despite the tribute video, which highlighted his off-ice endeavors, the fans' animosity was evident. Former teammates tapped their sticks as he took the ice, but the crowd's vitriol intensified throughout the game. Fans were heard chanting derogatory remarks directed at Tkachuk.
Tkachuk scored the game's opening goal in the 10th minute, his seventh of the season, before the Senators scored five unanswered goals to win the game. "Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Whatever their emotions there may be, they’re entitled to it," Tkachuk said pregame. "I know, for me, it’s not going to be taken personally. I know how I feel about this city, about this fan base, and how thankful and appreciative that I am. 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."