Brady Tkachuk causes a melee after losing it over empty net goal.
A situation eerily similar to the one we saw earlier this year between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.
This wasn't exactly a great look for Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk on Saturday night.
Tkachuk will be making headlines this morning after a clash between his Senators and the New Jersey Devils ended with some mild controversy on Saturday night. The Devils would eventually pick up the win by a score of 5-4, but before the players could leave the ice we would be treated to some extracurricular activities.
In the dying seconds of the game, Devils captain Nico Hischier had a clear path to what was an empty net for the Ottawa Senators. Hischier didn't have enough time to reach the net before the final buzzer went off, but in spite of that he made the very questionable decision of skating up to the Senators net and putting the puck in after the final buzzer had already been blown.
It was certainly a questionable decision, especially coming from a captain in the National Hockey League that is expected to lead by example, but the reaction from Tkachuk was even more over the top.
Tkachuk would charge after Hischier in retaliation for the late goal which would in turn lead to a brief melee between the two teams. It was clear however that no one was willing to engage the enraged Tkachuk, who seemed far more willing to get physical after the buzzer than anyone else on the ice.
Of course Tkachuk was quickly mocked on social media for his behavior, largely due to the fact that there is a perceived level of hypocrisy here from a certain segment of the NHL's fan base. Earlier in the season the Senators were involved in an empty net controversy of their own when forward Ridly Greig infamously fired off a shot into the empty net of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a decision that would in turn lead to a 5 game suspension for Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly.
Many, many fans were quick to point out what they perceived as hypocritical behavior from Tkachuk.
Did Tkachuk do the right thing? Or was this all a bit hypocritical from the captain of the Ottawa Senators? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
