“It’s definitely fun,” said Travis Green, the NHL coach, on Monday, about his team finally heading home. As the Ottawa Senators reached the Canadian Tire Center this afternoon for their first home game of the season, fans definitely had high hopes. After all, they had to do something to forget the shambolic 6-2 defeat to the Panthers from last Saturday. But Green’s boys fell yet again, this time succumbing to the Nashville Predators by 1-4. But for Brady Tkachuk, the disastrous home opener was especially disappointing.

Gino Hard took to X on October 13 to share how Brady’s parents and his son were present in the stands to welcome the Senators home in the match against the Predators. Captioned, “Three generations of Tkachuk in the building today in Ottawa,” the social media update shows the Ottawa forward’s old man, Keith Tkachuk, trying to turn Ryan’s attention toward the rink. However, it didn’t take long for the Tkachuks’ smiling faces to go dim.

Not five minutes into the game, the Predators’ captain, Roman Josi, cross-checked Brady from behind, resulting in the latter hitting the boards with his head and hands. Josi’s infraction was assessed as a two-minute minor. While the hit didn’t seem to take too big a toll on Tkachuk, even though he was seen to be shaking his hand after hitting the boards, he was taken off the ice for the final nine minutes of the match. As per some reports, the call to keep him on the bench “wasn’t precautionary“.

Coach Green later noted that Brady Tkachuk was being evaluated for the injury, but provided no further updates on the 26-year-old’s condition. However, the Senators’ head coach did confirm that the hand injury was a result of Rosi’s cross-check in the first period of the match.

Born in September last year, Ryan Tkachuk might grow up with a dilemma: To support dad Brady and the Senators, or pledge his allegiance to the back-to-back Stanley Cup champs, the Florida Panthers, where his uncle Matthew Tkachuk plays? To help the toddler make the decision, the Tkachuk family took the little one to the Senators’ game today. But little did they know that it would be only heartbreaking scenes waiting for Ryan. But truth be told, the Sens’ miseries went far beyond Brady’s injury.

Jonathan Marchessault’s brace in the first and third periods, the latter being scored on an empty net, brought the Preds two points in their first road game of the 2025-26 season. Juuse Saros made 31 saves to keep the Senators at bay. “Just a good road win,” Marchessault said following the win. On the other hand, despite the loss, Coach Green seemed pretty content with how his team performed. “We played a pretty good game. Sometimes you can play a decent game and lose,” he said.

It remains to be seen if Brady’s injury causes further trouble as the Senators wait for their next game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. However, Keith might not be feeling too worried. After all, he’s pretty accustomed to seeing his sons handling themselves in tough situations.

Brady Tkachuk isn’t afraid to step up

The inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off, held in February this year, was a landmark event without a doubt. Projected as a possible replacement for the NHL All-Star game, the international hockey tournament proved to be a resounding success. And yet, the first match between the USA and Canada at the tournament will be especially remembered for the fisticuffs. Within the opening 10 seconds of the match, three fights broke out on the ice, leading to the game being delayed by several minutes.

In two of those three bouts, both Matthew and Brady were involved. Naturally, Keith Tkachuk, a former NHL player himself, didn’t enjoy the drama. “We were pretty nervous. Nobody likes to see their kid fight,” the senior Tkachuk said later, while also noting his confidence that his boys are able to take care of themselves well. Obviously, a casual cross-check in the regular season game isn’t something that would concern Keith. But Brady has his eyes set on bigger goals beyond the NHL.

After Matthew won his second straight Stanley Cup with the Panthers, his younger sibling revealed the plans for the future. “The next step would be to win gold with them,” Brady said about how the 2026 Winter Olympics are the next big project for him and his brother. Do you think the Sens’ star will be able to overcome his early-season speedbump to keep working toward that goal?