Thirty-seven jerseys hit the ice in Ottawa last week, and Brady Tkachuk wanted them sent to kids. The Florida Panthers forward isn't getting that wish.
The number came out through Ian Mendes. Brady was told the count and asked, again, that the jerseys go to the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.
Many of them were too damaged to be donated. Bad look, Ottawa.
Toss a jersey if you want. That's a fan's right when a familiar face comes back wearing another team's colors.
But a jersey that comes off the ice unusable helps nobody. It's like cleaning out your closet for a clothing drive, then dropping the bags in a puddle on the way.
The Senators still got the last laugh on the scoreboard last Wednesday, beating Florida 5-1 in the only meeting between the clubs so far this season.
Andrew Campbell's group sits second in the division at 8-4-0. The Panthers are sixth, sitting at 6-4-2 with a -2 goal differential.
Brady Tkachuk keeps scoring while Barkov and Marchand sit
Whatever Ottawa threw at him, it didn't slow the scoring. The winger has seven goals through 12 games, and three of them came on the power play.
The recent stretch is even louder. Over his last five games, he's piled up seven points.
Sunday afternoon in Chicago, he picked up a power-play assist in a 3-2 win. He logged 14:48 and fired one shot on goal.
That win came two days after the Panthers were shut out 4-0 in Pittsburgh. Short memory, tight margins.
And Florida needs every one of those goals. Aleksander Barkov is on injured reserve and isn't expected back until at least November 27.
Brad Marchand is out too, with a leg injury that keeps him off the ice until at least November 21.
So who carries this team until then? Paul Maurice doesn't have many answers beyond the two Tkachuks.
Matthew Tkachuk leads the club with 16 points, eight of them assists on the power play. Brady sits right behind him with 12.
The bill for that production is real. Bill Zito has Brady on the books at $8,208,714 a season.
There's still a hole in his game. He's a -3 on the season, and with Jacob Markstrom on injured reserve, the Panthers can't afford loose shifts in their own zone.
Next up is Tuesday in Winnipeg. Then Ottawa comes to Florida on November 25, and you can bet the jersey story will follow the Senators south.
Did Senators fans cross the line by ruining the jerseys Brady Tkachuk wanted donated?
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