Brady Tkachuk says he hopes his legacy with the Ottawa Senators is that he gave his “blood, sweat and tears” every night while playing for the club. The former Senators captain returns to Ottawa Wednesday night for the first time since he was traded to the Florida Panthers in June. The Senators host the Florida Panthers at 7:30 p.m. Speaking with reporters following the morning skate at the Canadian Tire Centre, Tkachuk was asked about what his legacy should be as captain of the Senators. “Gave absolutely everything I had and tried to do that every single night,” Tkachuk said. “Whether it’s, you know, for myself, you know, scoring a big goal or just bringing the emotion and physicality, and I know after each game, can always look in the mirror knowing I gave it all. So hopefully, that’s my legacy of a guy that brought it, you know, 100 per cent all the time.” There were still tickets available for the Senators-Panthers game as of 12 p.m. on Wednesday, and some fans have called for the crowd to voice their displeasure with Tkachuk during the game. “Everybody is entitled to know their opinions, whatever their emotions may be,” Tkachuk said. “I know for me, it’s not going to be taken personally. I know how I feel about this city, about this fan base, and how thankful and appreciative that I am. And that’s no matter what the reaction is going to be, it’s not going to change how I feel about you know this city and this fan base.” Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios told reporters in June that Tkachuk requested to be traded. Tkachuk told reporters he has talked a lot about the “professional reasons, personal reasons” why he wasn’t going to sign a contract extension with the club. “A lot of those things have been remained private between Steve and I, and it’s going to remain private,” he said, adding it was “100 per cent my decision” on requesting a trade. Tkachuk had dinner with some of his former teammates after arriving in Ottawa on Tuesday afternoon, including defenceman Jake Sanderson. He told reporters he arrived at Canadian Tire Centre early on Wednesday to greet some of the Senators staff. Tkachuk has said he wants any of his jerseys thrown onto the ice during the game to be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa. He was asked if he had any regrets about how the process played out that resulted in his trade to Florida. “There was some stuff out there that wasn’t true, and I guess questioned where my mind has been at for the last little bit. That was probably the hardest part of this process with how untrue that was,” he said. “I know for me, I was able to look myself in the mirror up until that final game, knowing that I put so much blood, sweat, and tears into this team and into this organization. And so, for me, it’s that was the toughest part.” Tkachuk says he expects it to be a special night to “be in front of fans that, you know, supported me.” “I’m never going to forget the memories that, you know, created here,” he said.
