Leo's Hockey Report: Brady Tkachuk returns to Ottawa, receives hostile welcome from fans
Romantic relationships are special. When someone comes into your life who wants to be more than friends, something happens in your brain. You don't want the experience to end. You make plans to spend the rest of your lives together.
Nothing prepares you for the inevitable heartbreak when that person wants to "move on" or "take a break." As a result, breakups can be messy and have lasting effects on your emotions.
I have never experienced breakups. However, fans of the Ottawa Senators have dealt with the issue time and time again. The latest in a long line of breakups was a curly-haired, blue-eyed Arizona native named Brady Tkachuk.
Ottawa selected Tkachuk fourth overall in the 2018 National Hockey League (NHL) entry draft. He played in the Nation's capital for eight seasons and was the captain for five of those years.
Much like that exuberant boyfriend who promises you the world, Tkachuk promised Sens fans he would bring home a Stanley Cup. He committed to the team following their first-round exit last season at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.
During the offseason, Tkachuk and the Senators broke up. He was adamant that he did not want to re-sign in Ottawa when his contract expired. As a result, General Manager Steve Staios dealt him to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a quartet of draft picks.
Ottawa used the better of the four to pry forward William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks.
Tkachuk returned to Ottawa last Wednesday night. He was welcomed back to the city with open arms. Fans embraced him as one of their own, almost like the hard feelings from last season were resolved. Despite the events of the offseason, everything was sunshine and rainbows.
That didn't happen.
Tkachuk was met with a chorus of boos during the game and in warmups. Fans brought out signs and showered Tkachuk with very creative chants. Some chants were meant to be lighthearted, like "traitor," "Brady sucks" and my personal favourite, "Brady eats crayons." Others were downright profane.
Other fans took a more direct approach to show their hatred. They threw their jerseys on the ice. Tkachuk promised he would pay it forward by donating the sweaters to the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.
Ottawa defeated Florida 5-1. Tkachuk opened the scoring early in the first period.
However, the Sens responded four minutes later, off the stick of Tim Stützle. Ottawa scored four goals over the second and third stanzas to spoil Tkachuk's return.
Tkachuk recognized that fans both love and hate him. Still, he has no hard feelings toward his former teammates or the fans in Ottawa.
"Everybody is entitled to their opinions,” Tkachuk told reporters. “For me, it’s not going to be taken personally. I know how I feel about this city, about this fanbase and how thankful and appreciative I am. No matter what the reaction is going to be, that’s not going to change how I feel about this city and this fanbase.”
Ottawa has a documented history of letting their players leave the franchise. The situation can be described as your ex-fiancé dumping you for the rich neighbour. They have money. They have material possessions. All you have is a kind heart and an endless supply of true love. When they return to your house, your ex wants you to give them a nice round of applause.
"It's not you, it's me," is the phrase uttered to help end the relationship.
Alexis Yashin was Ottawa's first lost love. Yashin sat out during the 1999-2000 NHL season following a contract dispute. Both the team and Yashin's camp could not find level ground that would benefit each other. Yashin returned to Ottawa the following season. However, he was there to simply "play hockey" and did not apologize to fans.
When Yashin finally returned to the ice, he received mixed reactions. Some were happy to see the Russian forward on the ice donning the red and gold. Others were still annoyed by his actions and could not wait for him to leave town.
The breakup came during the offseason. Ottawa traded Yashin to the New York Islanders for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and a future draft pick. The team used the pick on franchise forward Jason Spezza.
Following Yashin was Dany Heatley. Heatley played in Ottawa for the better part of four seasons. A part of the infamous pizza line during the 2008 campaign with Spezza and legendary Swedish forward Daniel Alfredsson, Heatley became the team's first 50-goal scorer. He played a crucial role when the Senators made the Stanley Cup finals in 2007.
Those accomplishments went out the window once Ottawa dealt the forward prior to the 2010 season. Heatley was traded to the San Jose Sharks for a package that included forwards Milan Michalek and Johnathan Cheechoo.
Heatley returned to Canada in December. Much like Tkachuk, he was greeted by hostile fans calling him a traitor and gracing him with their loudest boos. San Jose went on to win the game 4-0.
“Were they ruthless?” Tkachuk asked reporters after Wednesday's game. “No, it was good. Shows the passion they have.”
Tkachuk's return to Ottawa was hostile. However, it raises a critical question. What kind of reception will Quinn Hughes receive when he returns to Vancouver this weekend?
Like Tkachuk, Hughes was a beloved member of the Canucks for several years. He was drafted by the team in 2018 and went on to wear the captaincy for parts of three seasons. Yet, Hughes made it clear that he did not want to re-sign with the team at the end of his contract. He wanted to play with his brothers.
All we can do is wait to see how fans will welcome the former captain back to Rogers Arena.
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