Brady Tkachuk returned to Canada’s capital on Wednesday for the first time since leaving the Ottawa Senators to land with the Florida Panthers, and the former captain was met with relentless boos from his old fan base.
After enduring Florida’s 5-1 loss and a legitimate hostile enviroment in his former town, however, Tkachuk praised the Senators supporters for the intensity of their reaction rather than criticizing them.
“Were they ruthless?” Tkachuk joked. “No, it was good. Shows the passion that they have. One chapter closed, and like I said, just this exciting chapter that we’re living in. So it was nice to be in front of this passionate fan base.”
Tkachuk reflected positively on his eight seasons in Ottawa despite the hostile reception, with the former Senators captain finishing his run with the franchise via trade last June.
“I mean, it’s a lot of great moments” Tkachuk said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs, but yeah, nothing but great things that I’ve experienced here and that my family has experienced here as well.”
The 27-year-old requested a trade in May after Ottawa’s postseason exit and was dealt to Florida on June 21, allowing him to join his brother Matthew Tkachuk with the Panthers.
Against that backdrop, Senators fans are still angry at Tkachuk, and they made their feelings clear throughout Wednesday’s game. Tkachuk was booed during warmups and player introductions, during a tribute video, and throughout the night.
Marc DesRosiers-Imagn
Tkachuk still scored Florida’s only goal, converting on the power play in the first period with Matthew earning an assist. The Panthers then allowed five unanswered goals.
“It felt nice,” Tkachuk said of scoring. “But at the end of the day, it wasn’t the outcome we wanted as a team. So, we’ll bounce back and have a big one tomorrow.”
The Panthers and Senators will meet three more times this season, with the first matchup set for Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. ET.
