GARRIOCH: As Brady Tkachuk hits one-year milestone, he’s taken his role as captain to heart
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“On Saturday, the 23-year-old Tkachuk will mark the one-year anniversary of being named the 10th captain in the franchise history of the Senators, and it’s a job he will never take lightly.”
“My goal is to come to the rink every day, have a smile on my face and get to work,” says Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. Photo by Eric Bolte /USA TODAY Sports Article content
TAMPA — Brady Tkachuk is the heart and soul of the Ottawa Senators.
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He will hit a significant milestone Saturday with the Philadelphia Flyers in town. That day, the 23-year-old Tkachuk will mark the one-year anniversary of being named the 10th captain in the franchise history of the Senators, and it’s a job he will never take lightly.
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Named to the post after signing a seven-year, $57.5 million deal with the Senators on Oct. 14, 2021, Tkachuk has settled nicely into his role wearing the “C” and he knows he has a big job ahead of him as the club tries to get some consistency in its game to make the playoffs.
Tkachuk, the youngest captain in the history of the franchise the day he accepted the post from late owner Eugene Melnyk, general manager Pierre Dorion and coach D.J. Smith, hasn’t done this job by himself.
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Tkachuk has relied on input from his father, Keith, and brother Matthew of the Florida Panthers, to help be the kind of the leader the Senators need as this franchise tries to make the transition from being in a full rebuild to being a contender in the Atlantic Division.
“I’m just thankful to have my dad, brother, my whole family and everybody that I care about help me out. Not only with the on-ice parts of the game, but also the off-ice part,” Tkachuk told this newspaper before club’s 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
“They’ve been able to help me navigate through certain different things so I’m grateful for all the people that have helped me out. My teammates, the trainers and coaching staff, and everybody in the organization that have helped with this (role).”
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The decision to appoint Tkachuk to fill the role of captain for the first time since Erik Karlsson was dealt to the San Jose Sharks in September 2019 wasn’t a huge surprise. The final decision came down to Tkachuk or alternate captain Thomas Chabot, and neither would have been a bad selection.
Once Tkachuk made the commitment, the Senators felt he was the right choice and he was pleased to have the honour bestowed upon him. Being e captain of a Canadian team can be difficult because of expectations that go with it.
“I was honoured to be able to talk to Mr. Melnyk, to be able to have the meeting with him, it was a huge honour to be thought of in that way,” Tkachuk said. “My goal is to come to the rink every day, have a smile on my face and get to work.
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“I’m grateful that they thought of me in that way, but I think what makes this group special is that there’s a lot of great leaders in that room that want to win every day. I’m just happy to be surrounded by a lot of great guys.”
Tkachuk has put down roots. He purchased a home in Ottawa at the end of last season and got engaged to his longtime partner, Emma Farinacci, last summer.
Tkachuk doesn’t need a letter to be a leader. We’ve seen his ability to lead this team into battle since he was selected No. 4 overall in the 2018 NHL draft. He plays a hard-nosed style and leads by example.
That’s what you need to succeed in the NHL. If he didn’t have the “C” on his chest, he’d play the same way, but it does give him added responsibility to be the one who helps lead the charge. That’s part of the job.
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“(Without the captaincy) I’d just try to be the same,” Tkachuk said. “I’d just come to the rink every day and try to work my hardest to be a good teammate. That’s what my dad and brother taught me from a young age: Try to be the hardest worker and a good teammate.
“They said, ‘If you do that, you’ll be successful.’ We have a lot of those guys in our room and (the captaincy) didn’t change me one bit. I’m just trying to keep being myself every day.”
He gets input from his teammates if there are decisions to be made.
Tkachuk leans on people around him — including present and former teammates — to get advice on the role.
“This isn’t a one-person show,” Tkachuk said. “Everybody in that room is a leader. They lead in one certain aspect or multiple aspects. Whether it’s leading by example, saying the right thing at the right time or just going out there and doing it.
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“I’ve always said I have this belief that everybody in a group can lead in a certain aspect.”
He sat down with former Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson last spring over lunch to get his advice on being a captain in this market.
“We just talked a little bit about everything,” Tkachuk said. “It was a chance to get to know him, starting that relationship and his mindset over certain things. Getting to know a guy like that is important because he’s not just a legend in the community, but he was an awesome player as well.
“He’s going to the Hockey Hall of Fame for a reason and I’ve been lucky to get to know him, and there’s certain decision-making things that he’s done that have helped me out.”
BGarrioch@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/sungarrioch
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