Brady Tkachuk made his first trip back to Ottawa on Tuesday night since asking the Senators for a trade, and the Canadian Tire Centre crowd made sure he knew how they felt about it.
Fans directed a string of chants at the former Senators captain throughout the night, including one targeting him with “you eat crayons” taunts. Tkachuk, now playing for the Florida Panthers alongside his brother Matthew, had requested a trade from Ottawa over the summer, a move that came after questions grew about his commitment to the franchise following the U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal win over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Despite the hostile reception, Tkachuk opened the scoring for Florida, continuing a hot stretch that has included back-to-back natural hat tricks. The Senators answered by scoring the next five goals to win the game 5-1.
The most talked-about moment of the night came when the arena played a tribute video for Tkachuk’s time with the franchise. The video was booed loudly by the crowd, and rather than offer a quiet wave in response, Tkachuk responded with an extended celebratory lap around the ice.
Tensions also flared between Tkachuk and his former teammates, including Ridley Greig, during the game. Some fans in attendance threw their old Tkachuk jerseys onto the ice as part of the backlash.
Tkachuk did not appear rattled by the reception and addressed the night calmly in his postgame interview. Ottawa Senators owners have previously suggested that Keith Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk played a role in influencing Brady’s decision to request a trade from the team.
With the rivalry between Tkachuk and his former club now clearly established, fans and players alike expect a similarly charged atmosphere any time he returns to play in Ottawa in the future.
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