The Senators will play a tribute video for their former captain in what promises to be a complicated homecoming.
Divorce can be painful, but it doesn't erase the past.
It doesn’t mean the good times never happened or that every happy memory suddenly becomes meaningless.
But it can get a little awkward when your ex-spouse shows up at your house, visiting you with their new family, and somebody fires up your wedding video.
That’s essentially what the Senators will do when Brady Tkachuk returns with the Florida Panthers on October 21. According to Bruce Garrioch at Postmedia, the Senators plan to honour their former captain with a video tribute highlighting his eight years in Ottawa.
There's certainly plenty of material.
Oh, yes. We had some good times together.
Tkachuk embraced the city, connected with fans, and gave the franchise a recognizable face during some brutal rebuilding years. He played with emotion, defended his teammates and helped lead the Sens back to the playoffs.
Those memories are real and worthy of recognition.
But so is the divorce.
Tkachuk asked for a trade with two years remaining on his contract. He didn’t merely decide to move on as a free agent after fulfilling his commitment. He wanted out while the Senators were finally relevant again.
That makes this tribute far more complicated than the standard welcome back for a former player.
The organization is making the right decision. Ignoring everything Tkachuk did in Ottawa would look petty, and well-run, professional teams take the high road in these situations. The Senators can thank him for the years he gave them without pretending they enjoyed how he ended it.
But Sens fans don't have to be diplomatic. They can and will do what they want. And what they choose to do, whatever that is, shouldn't be panned by anyone. It's their passion that fuels this league and gets players paid. And if players screw them over, as Tkachuk did, it's a two-way street. No one who earns a penny from this league has a right to ask them to turn that passion off.
In 2013, after Daniel Alfredsson signed with the Detroit Red Wings, Sens fans gave him one of the longest-standing ovations in club history when he returned. Alfie even took a couple of laps with his stick in the air.
But his return was obviously different. He left as a free agent after 17 seasons. It was at the end of his career, and the Sens were lowballing him in contract talks under a very frugal former owner.
Tkachuk asked to leave at 26, with two years left on his commitment, just as the Senators appeared ready to contend.
And this wasn't just about wanting to play with his brother. He wanted out of Ottawa because of "things that happened" here.
When he left, he could have said, 'I love it here, and this has nothing to do with Ottawa. This is about a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play with my brother and raise our families together as neighbours. And for me, family will always come first.'
That might be a little more digestible. He did talk about those things as perks, but it wasn't the main thing.
When asked at his Florida news conference about what changed here and why he wanted a trade, the first thing he said was, "There's definitely a lot of different things that happened throughout my time (in Ottawa), and for me, I think it was just time for the next chapter."
So, like anyone asking for a divorce, Tkachuk was unhappy. So he left.
As the one doing the leaving, it's super easy not to have any hard feelings, so Tkachuk put out a thank you video of his own on Instagram.
But as the ones being left, you'll have to excuse Senators fans, just four months later, if they're not ready to put on that fake smile, watch the wedding video, and mutually share their appreciation.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
