Why Brady Tkachuk is Already One of the Best Leaders in the Sport

With the way Tkachuk handles things, on and off the ice, it's easy to forget he's only 24.

It was late February last season. The Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators both had a shot at the playoffs, but they needed to go through each other first, facing off in rare back-to-back games. 

In the second period, with the teams already piling up a combined 18 penalty minutes, Tkachuk challenged the entire Red Wings’ bench to fight: 

"Who wants it? Who f---ing wants it?" he demanded.

It was a wild rallying cry, but the Sens went on to crush Detroit by a combined total of 12-3 over the two games, with Tkachuk responsible for two of those goals – not to mention a lot of the menace on the ice those two nights. 

Detroit apparently didn’t want it that day...not the way Tkachuk did. 

It's that kind of passion that makes Brady Tkachuk not only one of the best players in the NHL, but an even better leader. Tkachuk is already entering his third year as the captain of the Ottawa Senators. He's the second youngest captain in the NHL, recently replaced by Quinn Hughes in Vancouver.

Tkachuk may just be a natural-born leader: his dad, Keith, was a captain for the old Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes. Even though those teams didn't win the Stanley Cup, Keith guided his teams to the playoffs numerous times. Brady not only hopes to emulate his father but actually go the distance.

Obviously, the younger Tkachuk is also a heck of a hockey player. He had a career high 35 goals and 83 points last year. So far this season, he is already tied for the team lead in points and he's always been able to recognize when his team needs a push. 

After Ottawa gave up a fourth consecutive goal to the Red Wings on Saturday afternoon, Tkachuk fought Michael Rasmussen to try and change the momentum in the game. And when his efforts on the ice don’t do the job, he takes accountability. After that tough defeat at the hands of the Wings, Tkachuk took ownership. 

“I think every single person just wasn’t ready to play, including myself,” Tkachuk told reporters. “I didn’t have a great game either today. I made a couple of boneheaded plays, and these are opportunities to learn from.”

If Tkachuk has a weakness on the ice, it's the sometimes undisciplined penalties that come as the companion of his gritty play. He already has five minor penalties in five games. As he continues to grow as a player, it will be interesting to see whether that changes.

As young as he is, Tkachuk has stepped up to play the captain’s role in the community as well. He and his wife, Emma, started the “Tkachuk’s Captains” – a charity working with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Ottawa to raise money for kids’ physical activity, skills development, and nutrition.

Tkachuk even connected the community work with the Senators’ goals on the ice. Recently, he met with local firefighters and posed for pictures with their kids. He took the firefighter’s helmet he was given at the meeting and turned it into a team symbol awarded to the Sens’ player of the game, as determined by the men in the locker room.

Successful teams need scorers, solid D, and great goaltending. They also need leaders, and Brady Tkachuk has all the makings of one of the best in the NHL.