(Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) Steve Warne Fri, October 16, 2026 at 7:00 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brady Tkachuk is suddenly the hottest goal-scorer in the NHL. And if Senators fans weren't already planning to give their former captain a rough reception next Wednesday night, the timing of his comments about Florida Panthers fans have probably sealed the deal.
Tkachuk has scored back-to-back hat tricks, giving him six goals in two games after a slow start to his first season in Florida.
But it wasn't just his scoring that made headlines Thursday night.
After his latest three-goal performance, Tkachuk was serenaded with chants of "Brady! Brady!" from the Panthers faithful, a familiar sound for anyone who followed his eight seasons in Ottawa.
The chanting occurred during his rinkside postgame TV interview, and Tkachuk couldn't have been happier with the reception.
"I'm just so grateful to be here. I'm truly blessed to play in front of the best fans in the NHL! How good is this?"
Tkachuk's comments come just days before his return to Canadian Tire Centre this Wednesday (Oct. 21). It will be his first NHL game in Ottawa wearing enemy colours since demanding a trade in the offseason.
It's a homecoming that already promised to be highly emotional, maybe even hostile.
There's no question that some Senators fans have completely moved on, happy that the Brady Tkachuk era is behind them. Others fully understand that every NHL player is going to say that his current team has the best fans. That's just pandering 101, playing along to get along.
But for others, the timing of their former captain's declaration, just days before his return, may prove to be a final straw.
Tkachuk's slow start in Florida provided at least a little consolation. While the Sens are in first place in the Atlantic, enjoying a strong 6-2 start to the season, their former captain was struggling to find the scoresheet with his new club.
So there was some satisfaction in Ottawa, seeing Tkachuk discover that the grass isn't always greener elsewhere. But that consolation, if it was ever really a consolation at all, is now gone.
Tkachuk has suddenly rediscovered his scoring touch, and Panthers fans are now chanting his name, just as Senators fans once did.
The Senators have already said they will recognize their former captain with a tribute video on Wednesday, acknowledging his eight seasons in Ottawa and his contributions to the franchise.
But there's no longer much doubt about how the crowd will respond. He will be booed where he once heard fans chanting his name.
They've had plenty of chances to welcome back recent former captains like Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Erik Karlsson.
After hearing Tkachuk make those comments so close to his return to Ottawa, anyone who still held some goodwill for the ex-captain may be fresh out by Wednesday night.
Source: Sports
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