Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
A cubist interpretation of the heated debate over Keith Tkachuk’s comments on modern NHL toughness.Buffalo Today
Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk is defending his father, NHL great Keith Tkachuk, after comments he made on a podcast about the toughness of modern NHL players were misconstrued by the Ottawa media. Keith was a guest on Brady and his brother Matthew’s podcast, where he joked about the Panthers’ perceived lack of toughness, but the Ottawa press interpreted his comments as a dig at Senators goalie Linus Ullmark. Brady says the comments were clearly about the Panthers, not the Senators, and that the media is making a ‘mountain out of a molehill’.
Why it matters
This latest off-ice distraction comes as the Senators are in a tight battle for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Brady Tkachuk has enough to worry about without having to defend his father’s comments, which were clearly meant in jest about his brother’s team and not intended as a criticism of the Senators.
The details
During an appearance on Brady and Matthew Tkachuk’s podcast, their father Keith Tkachuk joked about the perceived lack of toughness in the modern NHL, using the Florida Panthers as an example. He poked fun at players taking time off for ‘rest management’ and not being able to play back-to-back games, contrasting it with the days when goalies like Grant Fuhr would play 70+ games in a season. However, the Ottawa media interpreted Keith’s comments about Fuhr as a dig at Senators goalie Linus Ullmark, and grilled Brady about it.
Keith Tkachuk made the comments on his sons’ podcast earlier this week.
The players
Brady Tkachuk
The captain of the Ottawa Senators, who is defending his father’s comments.
Keith Tkachuk
A former NHL player and the father of Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, who made the controversial comments on his sons’ podcast.
Matthew Tkachuk
Brady’s brother, who plays for the Florida Panthers and was also on the podcast with their father.
Linus Ullmark
The goaltender for the Ottawa Senators, who the Ottawa media incorrectly thought Keith Tkachuk was criticizing.
Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›
What they’re saying
“Being a part of it and after watching it back, I thought it was pretty clear he was talking about Florida. I don’t really know how it got turned or misconstrued, but you know what happens. But I mean, I know in there I thought it was clear as they were talking about Florida, but a lot of all that other stuff, and just people taking it and twisting it, just nothing I can do about it.”
— Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators Captain
What’s next
The Senators will continue their push for a playoff spot, with Brady Tkachuk hoping to avoid any further off-ice distractions.
The takeaway
This incident highlights the intense scrutiny and pressure that players in Canadian NHL markets face, where even lighthearted comments can be twisted and turned into controversies. Brady Tkachuk is right to defend his father’s remarks, which were clearly meant in jest about the Panthers and not as a criticism of the Senators.