- A Senators player told Elliotte Friedman that Brady Tkachuk’s Wingmen podcast “caused some problems” inside Ottawa’s locker room
- Friedman shared the revelation on the season finale of the 32 Thoughts podcast
- Keep reading for the video and full details on what went wrong in Ottawa
Brady Tkachuk’s exit from Ottawa just got messier.
An anonymous Senators player told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that Tkachuk’s Wingmen podcast “caused some problems” inside the locker room, per Friedman’s season finale episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast.
“Post-Olympics, a lot was going on. The players were tired of it,” Friedman said. “I did have someone who reached out to me, one of the players. He said the podcast caused some problems.”
Check out the 32 Final Thoughts episode below (Ottawa discussion starts at 2:46:50):
Wingmen launched last November with Brady and his brother Matthew as co-hosts. Their father Keith appeared regularly, and the show generated headlines all season with candid takes on the NHL.
The biggest blowup came in April. Keith went on the pod and called modern injury tolerance “disgusting,” mocking players who sit out with minor ailments.
“Oh, my pinky hurts. I’m out for 6-8,” Keith said in a mocking voice.
That didn’t go over well in Ottawa. Brady captained a team dealing with its own injuries, and many read Keith’s rant as a shot at Senators goalie Linus Ullmark, who had recently been held out for rest. Brady said after practice that his dad was talking about Matthew’s Panthers, not the Senators. Not everyone bought it.
Travis Green told reporters the podcast wasn’t a “concern of our team.” Publicly, anyway.
Now we know at least one player felt differently. The noise around Tkachuk’s future was constant during his final season in Ottawa, and the podcast only amplified it. He reportedly told teammates for years he’d eventually leave, and on June 21, Ottawa traded him to the Florida Panthers for four draft picks.
The Senators have already moved on. Ottawa is offering fans 40% off to swap their Tkachuk jerseys for new ones:
Brady and Matthew are teammates now in Florida. Wingmen isn’t going anywhere. The Sunrise locker room probably won’t mind the podcast the way Ottawa did, with both Tkachuk brothers under the same roof.
