Tkachuk honoured to be named Sens captain

The newest captain of the Ottawa Senators is also the youngest captain in franchise history.

Brady Tkachuk was unveiled as the
Sens' new captain
Friday and in the process became the youngest player to ever wear the 'C' on a Senators jersey at the age of 22.
"It's pretty cool, especially seeing the guys that came before me," Tkachuk said. "It's definitely a privilege and an honour. I'm definitely excited for this opportunity but saying that, there are plenty of guys in that locker room who are tremendous leaders as well. It's not going to be one person; it's still going to be that group leadership we've had in the past and it's going to continue moving forward."
Tkachuk becomes the 10th captain in franchise history after Laurie Boschman (1992-93), Mark Lamb, Gord Dineen, Brad Shaw (all 1993-94), Randy Cunneyworth (1994-1998), Daniel Alfredsson (1999-2013), Jason Spezza (2013-14) and Erik Karlsson (2014-18).
"We think that Brady's play, demeanour [and] leadership is something that can help this franchise going forward and put us on the map," Sens head coach D.J. Smith said. "It puts a face to the franchise and you know what you're building behind. We've talked about wanting to be a championship team and we know how hard that is. We don't say that lightly. All these teams have captains and have been there for years prior [and] have gone through the tough times.
"Brady is going to be the guy when it's time to turn the corner that remembers what it was like to grind through this to get better and eventually when we feel we're one of the teams knocking on the door, we feel he's going to be an elite player in the league that will bring all the attributes that we talked about."

Tkachuk himself is committed for the long haul; he
signed
a seven-year contract with the Sens on Oct. 14. Twenty-two days later, he is now the captain.
"It's definitely an added responsibility but I'm still going to be the same person that comes to the rink with a smile on my face," he said. "I'm happy to go to work with a lot of my best buddies."
Senators owner and governor Eugene Melnyk was in attendance Thursday for Canadian Armed Forces appreciation night and earlier in the day met with Tkachuk, Smith and general manager Pierre Dorion. Discussions began about a week ago regarding captaincy and Thursday, Tkachuk was told he'd be the next captain.
"After meeting with Brady, [Mr. Melnyk] was confident that he was the guy he wants to lead his organization and myself and Pierre feel the same," Smith said.
While Tkachuk will have the 'C' on his chest, both he and Smith were adamant that the leadership within the room will remain team wide.
"The big thing for me is I try to lead by example and put the heart and soul into it," Tkachuk said. "I feel like everybody's no different in their leadership characteristics and I think that's what makes our team so special. Everybody has an impact in that locker room and has an impact in our leadership and everybody leads in their own way whether it's on the ice, off the ice or as a person … and everyone is pushing in the right direction."
Moreso, Thomas Chabot's leadership will continue to be vital to the team with Smith stressing the d-man is 100 per cent captain material.
"He's a guy that looks after the guys … and the guys look up to," Smith said of Chabot. "Brady will have the captaincy but for me it will be a co-captain situation where I will be talking to both of them quite often. They're best friends, they back each other and Chabby is a guy that will help Brady navigate through all of this and they will do it together."
And for Tkachuk, he more than welcomes that.
"We're going to rely on each other heavily," Tkachuk said. "He's going to be right there with me. It's going to be together, like it always has been. He's one of my best buddies and we're as tight as anybody so this isn't going to change anything. He's one of the best leaders I have ever met. It's going to be a great opportunity to lean on each other and keep progressing. I'm excited to do this with him and for both of us to take this team to the next level."
Tkachuk wore an 'A' permanently for the first time in 2020-21 and shortly before the 2019-20 season was paused by the Covid-19 pandemic, he had been given a letter.
By captaining an NHL side, he follows in the footsteps of his father, Keith, who captained the Winnipeg Jets from 1993-95 and the Phoenix Coyotes from 1996-2001. His brother, Matthew, wears an 'A' for the Calgary Flames.
Tkachuk's mom, Chantal, arrived in Ottawa Thursday while Matthew has been in touch already too. "I know he's super proud [and] I'm thankful I have a brother like him who is so supportive of me," Brady said.
Tkachuk will captain the Sens for the first time Saturday when they face the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning at Canadian Tire Centre.
"It's been a whirlwind of a month," Tkachuk said. "I'm happy to be back, back playing with my teammates and be in Ottawa.
"Things are moving in the right direction with our team and we're going to keep progressing."