Brady Tkachuk responds to brutal chants from fans in Toronto.

In many ways Game 1 of the opening round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, otherwise known as the Battle of Ontario, lived up to the expectations.

We saw plenty of physicality between these two teams on Sunday night and even the normally tame fans at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto seemed to really get into the spirit of the Stanley Cup playoffs, making that building feel more alive than it has in many years. 

The fans weren't just loud for the sake of being loud however and were genuinely engaged with the game on the ice, with perhaps the most notable demonstration of this coming during several points in the night where Ottawa's captain became a target of those very same fans. As by far the most recognizable player on the Senators, especially after his performance at the Four Nations Face-Off, it came as no surprise to anyone, including the man himself, that Brady Tkachuk was on the receiving end of some unflattering chants from the Toronto faithful.

Throughout many moments in the game loud chants of "Brady Sucks!" could be heard erupting throughout the building.

When he was asked about the chants following the conclusion of the game, Tkachuk admitted that he wasn't at all surprised to hear them and tried to play it off as though the chants had no impact on him.

"I guess I expected it," admitted Tkachuk. "Couldn’t care less. I don’t really give a sh*t to be honest. That’s not going to affect me and honestly new game Tuesday."

I suspect that this will only encourage fans in Toronto to pour it on even more when it comes to the Senators captain, and at the end of the day that is a good thing for both teams as it helps fuel a rivalry that we haven't seen in the Stanley Cup playoffs for far too long.