For the first time this season, Brady Tkachuk will face his brother, Matthew, when the Ottawa Senators host the Calgary Flames tonight.
"It's special not just for Matthew and I, but our parents, my sister Taryn, all of our extended family and friends [who] will be watching," Tkachuk said. "It's huge for them too as they've all had an impact on us and all helped us get to where we are now. It's just a great moment for everybody."
It's taken 21 games to get here, an oddly long stretch considering the Sens only have six opponents this season. But the wait will be worth it as the brothers renew their rivalry.
"Matthew and I circled this because it's so much fun to see one another and it's going to be a blast," Tkachuk said. "I always love playing against him."
After spending all of last summer, and more, back home in St. Louis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the stretch from the start of training camp to tonight is the longest the brothers have spent apart in a year.
Having said that, they're going to be seeing a lot of each other over the next 10 days as five of the Sens' next six games are against Calgary.
Brady is 1-3 all-time against Matthew but has scored twice. Matthew has three points in their four matchups. In addition, the brothers also just reached a few personal milestones: Brady recorded his 100th NHL point and 50th NHL goal over the last week while Matthew scored his 100th NHL goal Monday night.
"We're competitors on the ice," Brady said. "We can be brothers after and before but when we get on the ice, we both want to win."
Tonight is the first of nine games this season between the Sens and Flames and it kickstarts a crucial series. The Sens have won four of six while the Flames sit just two points out of a playoff spot.
"They're big games," Tkachuk said. "We're not going to take these games lightly.
"We both want to win and we'll both do whatever it takes to win."
