Tkachuk Heavily Booed in Return to Ottawa, Then Scores

Brady Tkachuk got the reception everyone expected in Ottawa on Wednesday night, and he scored anyway.

The former Senators captain was heavily booed in his first game back at Canadian Tire Centre as a member of the Florida Panthers. Fans drowned out a tribute video with profane chants, and over the night the building rang with "We don't need you!" and "You betrayed us!" Tkachuk raised his stick in acknowledgement during the video and waved to the crowd with his usual grin. He opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 10:00 of the first period.

Tkachuk was Ottawa's captain for five seasons, from 2021-22 to 2025-26, and was traded to Florida on June 21 for two first-round picks in the 2026 draft, a second-round pick in 2027 and a conditional first-round pick in 2029, according to nhl.com. TSN reports the deal came after he told the club he would not sign an extension when his contract expires in 2028.

Before the game, Tkachuk addressed comments from Senators owner Michael Andlauer, who had implied his brother Matthew and father Keith steered him toward Florida. "I know for myself, it was 100 per cent my decision," Tkachuk said. As for the reasons he wouldn't re-sign, he said: "A lot of those things remain private."

He also said that whatever reaction he got would not change how he feels about the city. "I've had so many great memories here that I'll have forever," he said.

Senators coach Travis Green had called it a "benchmark game" for his team, per the Senators. Tim Stützle said he hadn't spoken to Tkachuk since he arrived and wanted the focus on winning.

Ottawa answered with five straight goals to win 5-1, according to the NHL's final boxscore. Stützle tied it on the power play later in the first period, and Claude Giroux, Shane Pinto, Warren Foegele and Stephen Halliday also scored. The Senators improved to 7-3-0, while the Panthers, who had entered on a three-game winning streak, fell to 5-3-2.