Brady Tkachuk was describing his return to Ottawa on the brothers’ Wingmen podcast, calling it probably the best energy he has seen in that building and comparing it to playoff hockey. He then asked Matthew Tkachuk where it ranked among the atmospheres he has played in.
Matthew agreed it was among the best regular-season nights he could remember. Then he went after the attendance figure.
“They say it was sold out. That was not sold out,” Matthew said. “I was there. I had my eyes. It was not sold out. But they were loud. They’re passionate.”
The Ottawa Senators announced a crowd of 17,010 for the game on October 21. Matthew put it closer to 15,000.
The attendance question:
| Senators’ announced crowd | Matthew Tkachuk’s estimate | Ottawa’s average last season |
|---|---|---|
| 17,010 | about 15,000 | 17,123 |
How many people were at Brady Tkachuk’s return?
The club’s own figure is the only one on the record, and it sits slightly below the average Ottawa drew across the whole of last season. CBC described the Canadian Tire Centre that night as packed and sold out, and head coach Travis Green said it was as close to a playoff game as you will get in October.
Whatever the number, nobody has disputed what the people in the building did with their evening. They booed Brady through warmups and every puck touch, drowned out his tribute video, threw his old jerseys onto the ice and worked through a chant list that ran past a dozen entries, several of them aimed at the podcast the brothers were sitting on when they recorded this.
Brady scored the opening goal and was ejected in the third period as Ottawa scored five unanswered to win 5-1.
He has eight goals and eight assists through 15 games with the Florida Panthers, who sit 8-5-2 and one point behind Ottawa in a tight Atlantic Division.
The brothers aren’t letting any of it go, and they won’t have to wait long for the next installment. Brady is back at the Canadian Tire Centre on March 18.
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