Criticism of Tkachuk ‘crazy,’ Senators coach Green says

OTTAWA -- Travis Green called criticism of Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk “crazy” after the forward was called out by fans for taking 21 penalty minutes in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

“We're lucky to have this guy, for starters,” the Senators coach said Monday before they hosted the Calgary Flames at Canadian Tire Centre (7:30 p.m. ET; Prime).

With Ottawa trailing 4-1 midway through the third period Saturday, the 25-year-old, visibly fuming, dropped the gloves with Canucks center Dakota Joshua and received a game misconduct.

That drew the ire of fans on social media and particularly during the text and call-in portion of the postgame show on local radio station TSN 1200.

“Like, A: He's a skilled hockey player, he's tough, he's mean, he cares passionately about winning, about winning in Ottawa and he's a very good hockey player,” Green said. “So, I think if you looked around hockey, whether you're playing peewee hockey, junior hockey, the American (Hockey) League, any league in the world, you'd want a player like this on your hockey team.

“I don't think it's fair. Is he perfect? No. There are not many perfect players in the world, if any. But sometimes when you have something for a little while, you kind of forget what you have. And I think the Ottawa Senators are lucky to have this guy. I don't think it's fair, the chatter. Is he going to make mistakes? Hell yeah. Every player does. So, I'd probably take a step back on that one because I don't think it's fair."

Tkachuk, selected No. 4 by Ottawa in the 2018 NHL Draft, was named the 10th captain in Senators history Nov. 5, 2021, at age 22. He has 21 points, including a team-leading 10 goals, and is second in scoring behind Tim Stutzle, who has 24 points (nine goals, 15 assists). Tkachuk’s 370 career points (172 goals, 198 assists) rank eighth all-time in Senators history, and his 675 penalty minutes rank fourth.

On Monday, Green scoffed at the idea that Tkachuk’s passion needs reining in.

"My God, to go after a guy because he's emotional and wants to win? Like, really?” Green said. “We want all our players to be emotional and want to win. To challenge a guy like that, I'm probably being light, like, I think it's crazy. No one's perfect. And is he going to make the odd mistake that might cost us a goal? Yes, he is. But I'd rather a guy make a mistake being emotional and playing with passion and his heart than to sit and be meek and make mistakes that way. It's not fair."

Ottawa (8-11-1) has lost five straight (0-4-1) and entered Monday seventh in the Atlantic Division, and six points behind the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

A frustrated fan base is to be expected for a franchise that has missed the playoffs seven years in a row, but if you ask Tkachuk’s teammates they believe that he’s the one to lead them out of their postseason drought.

"He's the heart and soul of the Ottawa Senators, for sure,” defenseman Jake Sanderson said. “He always takes a lot on himself too. But I think you watch him play every single night, he's leaving it out there. I don't know if the fans are giving him a hard time or not, but that should never be the case. He brings it every single night and he's the backbone of our team."

Green shuffled all forward lines and defense pairings in practice Sunday, reuniting Tkachuk and Stutzle and adding Adam Gaudette, who has eight goals this season. Surrounding Tkachuk with such fire power is a vote of confidence from Green, who trusts the Senators will get out of their slump with the young captain’s leadership.

"You want passion in your team,” Green said. “From Day 1, we've said that we want to be a team that is hard to play against. And every player is capable of being hard to play against in their own way. Some of it is being tenacious, some of it is backchecking, some of it is skating. Our team is based around work and compete. And I think that has slipped a little bit."