- Brady Tkachuk heard boos during Panthers warmups in Ottawa
- Fans chanted “Brady sucks” before the anthems at Canadian Tire Centre
- Read below for what Tkachuk and Paul Maurice said beforehand
Brady Tkachuk got the reception everyone expected in Ottawa.
Fans at Canadian Tire Centre booed the former Senators captain as the Panthers hit the ice for warmups, and the boos got louder every time he took a shot. Watch it:
The noise turned into a full chant before the anthems. A fan video from the building caught the crowd going with “Brady sucks” as the game got close, per Daily Faceoff. Here’s the chant:
Oct. 21 stood out on the schedule from the day it came out. Tkachuk requested a trade after making it clear he wouldn’t re-sign, and Ottawa sent him to Florida on June 21 for three first-round picks and a second-rounder.
Earlier in the day, Tkachuk talked about what coming back means to him. He arrived at the rink at 8:30 a.m. and said it hit him once the team landed.
“To be able to be back here, like I’ve said a lot, it’s a special place to me,” Tkachuk said, per NHL.com.
He also said he wasn’t taking the reaction personally. Panthers coach Paul Maurice was asked how fans should greet him, and he left the door wide open.
“However they feel,” Maurice said. “If you’re unhappy, come unhappy. If you loved watching him play, come love watching him play. If you’re jilted, be jilted.”
TSN’s Claire Hanna also caught Tkachuk stretching with the Panthers before the game:
Tkachuk walked in on a heater. He scored natural hat tricks in back-to-back wins over Columbus and Vancouver, and the Panthers came in at 5-2-2.
He had already answered Senators owner Michael Andlauer on the trade, and he promised to donate any jerseys thrown on the ice to the Ottawa Boys and Girls Club.
