Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk has never shied away from physical play and confrontations, but Saturday’s incident with the Winnipeg Jets caught him completely off guard.
During the second period of Ottawa’s 4–2 win, Tkachuk was sucker punched by Jets defenseman Logan Stanley after a board-side collision and a little scuffle.
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Stanley removed the Senators forward’s helmet and followed up by striking him square in the face while Tkachuk was looking away, dropping him to the ice, and igniting tensions on both benches.
Adding wood to the Senators’ fire, officials assessed Stanley a double minor, while Tkachuk, despite not throwing a punch, was given a 10-minute misconduct.
Head coach Travis Green made his feelings about the incident clear during his postgame media availability.
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“I will probably choose my words wisely,” Green said. “If the refs had to do it again and call it again, they’d probably make a different call.”
Green expressed concern for his captain and wondered how the Jets would have reacted in a similar situation, only in the Senators’ favor.
“You never like to see a guy get suckered in the face,” Green said. “He’s an All-Star player. I’m sure their team wouldn’t be happy if (Kyle) Connor got suckered in the face and there was just a two-minute minor for roughing.”
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Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) looks on during a stoppage of play.Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Tkachuk was restrained by officials while shouting at Stanley and the Jets bench after the play. As he returned to the bench, Tkachuk slammed his stick against the boards in frustration.
Tkachuk missed 20 games earlier this season with a thumb injury and was spotted favoring the same hand while skating away from the altercation. That said, he returned to the game in the third period.
Ottawa (20–15–5) will host the Detroit Red Wings on Monday after extending Winnipeg’s losing skid to nine consecutive games.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the NHL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.