Brady Tkachuk returns to Ottawa, scores in Panthers' 5-1 loss to Senators

Explainer

Brady Tkachuk scored a goal for the Florida Panthers in his return to Ottawa on Wednesday night, but his former team dominated the game with a 5-1 victory. The former Senators captain was heavily booed by the crowd at Canadian Tire Centre throughout the night, including during a video tribute played in his honour. Tkachuk, who spent his first eight NHL seasons in Ottawa, acknowledged the mixed emotions of his return but said negative reactions would not change his feelings about the city. Fans drowned out the video tribute with profane chants and later directed other chants at Tkachuk, including "We don't need you!" and "You betrayed us!" Tkachuk raised his stick in acknowledgment during the tribute and waved at fans with a grin. He opened the scoring with a power-play goal midway through the first period, but the Senators responded with five unanswered goals.

Why did Brady Tkachuk leave the Senators?

Tkachuk requested a trade from the Senators after last season and was dealt to the Panthers on June 21. At the team's season-ending press conference in April, he had insisted he was fully committed to the team, but speculation about his future had become a distraction. He later said professional and personal reasons, which he has kept private, led to his decision not to re-sign. "I've talked about it a lot that, you know, there's professional reasons, personal reasons why I wasn't going to re-sign here, and a lot of those things have remained private between [Senators GM Steve Staios] and I," Tkachuk said. "It's going to remain private. It just happened to work out this way." Senators owner Michael Andlauer previously suggested Tkachuk's father, Keith, and brother Matthew influenced his decision. "Yeah, I saw the quote and he's entitled to his opinion," Tkachuk said. "I know for myself it was 100 per cent my decision. I can make decisions for myself and my family."

READ MORE: Quinn Hughes scores 500th point in return as Wild defeat struggling Canucks

READ MORE: Senators defeat Devils 4-1 for fifth win in six games

How did fans express their displeasure?

Beyond the boos and chants, many fans altered their Tkachuk jerseys to express their displeasure. Season-ticket holder Neil Kennelly and his son Nolan both wore Tkachuk jerseys with an X taped over the captain's C. On the back, Nolan had covered Tkachuk's name with the words "Wingmen is trash," a reference to a podcast hosted by the Tkachuk brothers. His father's jersey read "What has 7 letters and sucks, Wingmen," incorporating Tkachuk's No. 7. "I'm not going to say I was crazy angry or surprised, but you know what? He doesn't want to be here, don't let the door hit you on the way out," said Neil Kennelly. "We want people who want to be here." Fans also cheered when Senators defenceman Artem Zub checked Tkachuk on his first shift.

What did Tkachuk say about his return?

Tkachuk said he arrived at the rink around 8:30 a.m. and was happy to reconnect with staff members. He admitted he hadn't given much thought to how emotional his return might be until the team landed in Ottawa. "Of course, it's always in the back of my mind," Tkachuk said. "It was when we landed here it kind of hit that now we're back here, now the excitement, all the emotions came flowing in. To be able to be back here, as I have said a lot, it's a special place to me." He said the speculation surrounding his departure had been difficult but that he knew he gave his all in Ottawa. "I know how I feel about this city, about this fan base, and I'm thankful and appreciative," he said. "And no matter what the reaction's going to be, it's not going to change how I feel about this city and this fan base."

How did the game unfold?

Tkachuk's power-play goal gave the Panthers an early lead, but the Senators scored five straight times to secure a 5-1 win. The Panthers entered the game with a 5-2-2 record and riding a three-game winning streak, while the Senators were 6-3-0. Florida coach Paul Maurice said before the game that his team should be able to feed off the energy of the situation. "I think it's good for us with the extra emotion," Maurice said. Tkachuk had dinner with several former teammates on Tuesday, but star centre Tim Stutzle was not among them. "I haven't seen him," Stutzle said. "I have a chef at home, so I didn't go for dinner." The Panthers were without several key players due to injury, including Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand and goalie Jacob Markstrom.

With files from The Globe and Mail, Yahoo Sports and Florida Hockey Now