Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk is never one to shy away from an opinion, and he's got a pointed one about how the Toronto Maple Leafs handled things after Auston Matthews went down with an injury.
"That was the perfect opportunity to stand up for your captain. just didn't see it," Tkachuk said, making clear he thought the Leafs should have responded more forcefully in the aftermath of Matthews getting hurt.
Standing Up for Your Captain
In hockey culture, there's a long-standing expectation that teammates respond when their best player, especially their captain, is on the receiving end of a hit that takes them out of the game. It's part of the unwritten code of the sport, and Tkachuk, who has built his own reputation as a physical, combative player who backs up his teammates, clearly felt the Leafs fell short of that standard.
The comments add another layer to the already heated rivalry between Ottawa and Toronto. Any time a Senator takes a jab at the Leafs, particularly one as direct as this. It tends to get people talking on both sides of Highway 417.
Tkachuk and the Code
Tkachuk himself has never had trouble living by the code he's describing. The Senators captain is routinely among the league leaders in hits, fights, and physical play, and he's made a career out of being the kind of player opponents don't want to mess with.
That reputation gives his words extra weight. When Brady Tkachuk says a team didn't stand up for their captain, it's coming from someone who has demonstrated, night in and night out, that he would do exactly that.
The Sens-Leafs Rivalry Rolls On
With the Senators continuing to build toward contention and the Leafs perennially under pressure to deliver, the dynamic between these two Ontario rivals is as compelling as ever. Tkachuk's comments are sure to add some extra spice to the next time these two teams meet on the ice.
For Ottawa fans, there's a certain satisfaction in seeing their captain hold other teams to the standard he sets for himself and his own squad every night.
Source: Ottawa Citizen
