How will Tkachuk’s return to Ottawa be received by the fanbase?

Tomorrow is a day that Ottawa Senators fans have had marked on their calendars since June 21. Brady Tkachuk will be making his first return to the nation’s capital as a member of the Florida Panthers. Yashin’s return was met with a chorus of boos; Heatley’s return had jerseys littering the ice, but when the tenth captain in the team’s history comes to town, the negative reception will surely top these moments. 

Tkachuk was the beloved captain of the club for five seasons and was the face of the franchise since he was drafted fourth overall in the 2018 NHL draft. Throughout his tenure on the team, he was a unicorn of a player known for his physicality and the heart and soul that he led with on the ice. As time went on, it was expected that Tkachuk would evolve as a player but not in the way that he trended over the last couple of years. With the start of his podcast with his brother Matthew, where the two mainly discussed the Olympics and most notably their gold-medal performance, the writing was on the wall that the Tkachuk brothers were becoming the face of Team USA hockey. That’s a hard thing to do while living in Ottawa. It's much easier to do in Florida, where he would also have an opportunity to join forces with his older brother. 

This return feels different than others

Senators' fans would have more respect for Tkachuk if that were the narrative given, but up until his last press conference as a Senator, he denied any trade rumours or requests and doubled down on how he was fully committed to being an Ottawa Senator. However, where there is smoke, there is fire, and we learned that two months later when it was revealed that he had requested a trade. This is why Senators fans have a different kind of sour taste towards him. Heatley’s departure could have some of the blame pinned on former Senators' owner Eugene Melnyk, and Yashin’s exit could be in part because of his ugly contract negotiations, but for Tkachuk, he’s the sole person bearing the responsibility.

Rampant social media discussions about Tkachuk’s return to the Canadian Tire Centre show that he will be met with boos loud enough to blow the roof off of the arena and rightfully so. The online sentiment is that he turned his back on the franchise just as they were turning a pivotal corner after making the playoffs for two straight seasons. He was the leader and will forever be remembered as a quitter. 

The team announced that despite pleas from the fans to ignore his return, they are taking the high road and honouring Tkachuk with a tribute video. The video should highlight both of his on- and off-ice contributions. Hopefully there is no volume, as it surely will be met with the loudest roar of boos or ‘traitor’ chants. 

To boo or not to boo

Some fans and reporters have noted whether or not Tkachuk should be met with noise or complete silence each time he touches the puck. He tends to thrive when faced with adversity, so silence may throw him off of his game. However, fans deserve the chance to express their disdain for the Panthers forward. The banter around Tkachuk’s return must be reaching the winger as the date approaches because he said yesterday how he is nervous for what will be waiting for him in Kanata. 

It’s unfortunate that Brady’s legacy in the Ottawa community will permanently have this large smudge mark that will seemingly overshadow the good things that he did. He had a strong partnership with the Boys and Girls Club Ottawa and spearheaded the Tkachuk Captain’s program along with his wife, Emma. Tkachuk announced on his podcast that he will be donating any #7 jerseys thrown on the ice to the Boys and Girls Club, a classy move by one of their most meaningful contributors. 

Tomorrow’s game will be quite the atmosphere, and the NHL must have known that as it is the only game on the schedule. The 'traitor,' ‘baby brother,' and ‘quitter’ chants will be in full force for the entire NHL to see. Let's just hope that his four-game point streak, where he accumulated a whopping ten points and back-to-back hat tricks, fizzles out and the Senators aren't faced with another Heatley-esque return where he was all over the ice and mustered up an assist and a 4-0 win over the Senators.

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