Will the Senators Have a Problem With a Brady Tkachuk

There is a funny thing about sports. A player can spend years becoming part of a franchise's identity, wear the captain's C, become involved in the community and help carry a team through some pretty lean years—and then leave under circumstances that make some fans want to forget the whole relationship ever existed.

That seems to be where the Ottawa Senators find themselves with Brady Tkachuk. After the Senators announced plans to show a tribute video for a player who is now gone from Ottawa, the reaction has been anything but sentimental. Sid Seixeiro went so far as to argue that Tkachuk shouldn't be honoured at all. Some Senators fans have suggested turning their backs during the video. Others have joked about silence, boos and even "Baby Brother" chants.

And honestly, that's what makes this more interesting than a simple argument about whether Tkachuk deserves a video.

What Exactly Is a Video Tribute For?

A tribute video isn't necessarily an award. It doesn't have to mean the organization approves of everything a player did or how his time with the franchise ended. It can simply acknowledge history.

Tkachuk was the Senators' captain. He played a significant role in the community. He was one of the faces of the franchise during a difficult stretch for the organization. Those things don't disappear because the relationship eventually became complicated.

There is also something to be said for the Senators being the bigger organization here. If Ottawa believes Tkachuk contributed positively to the franchise and the community, why should the organization rewrite that history because the ending wasn't particularly happy? Sports teams are supposed to preserve their histories, not edit them according to the emotions of the moment.

Senators Fans, of Course, Get to Decide How They Respond.

They don't owe Tkachuk an ovation. They don't have to forgive him. They certainly don't have to agree with his decisions. If the video is shown and the building responds with boos, that's part of the story too.

But perhaps that's the distinction worth making. The Senators can honour the player Tkachuk was in Ottawa without endorsing everything about the way Tkachuk left Ottawa. And maybe that's actually the classy way to handle it.

The organization doesn't control the reaction. It controls only whether it acknowledges its own history.

I'd show the video. Then I'd let the fans decide what happens next.