Tkachuk relishes battles with Habs captain Weber
Ottawa Senators winger Brady Tkachuk says he has all the respect in the world for Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber.
That doesn't mean Tkachuk is going to give an inch when he's on the ice against the standout Canadiens defencemen.
The way he sees it, the tough battles are essential to his enjoyment of the game, doing everything possible to create space.
“He has been a tremendous player in this league for awhile and he seems like such a great captain,” Tkachuk said before the puck dropped against Weber and the Canadiens on Sunday night at Canadian Tire Centre. “That's what is fun, going against their top guys. And with him, he's a physical guy, as well. Those are the things I love and it's a big challenge because he's one of the best at it. It's always fun playing against his team. It's tough getting to the net. It's always a physical matchup. I have a lot of respect for him.”
For Tkachuk, games against the Canadiens are “rivalry nights” where the intensity levels can rise significantly.
Accordingly, the head-to-head matchups can be physical and sometimes nasty.
In the back-to-back meetings on Feb. 4 and Feb. 6 — the Senators won 3-2 at the Bell Centre and the Canadiens claimed a 2-1 victory at Canadian Tire Centre — Tkachuk and Weber met regularly in front of the net and along the boards, exchanging big hits, a little bit of lumber and some choice words.
Tkachuk had a combined 11 hits in those two games, while Weber was credited with seven.
Weber, 35, played his 1,000th game earlier this month, but he hasn't slowed down all that much. He usually leads the Canadiens in ice time — he saw 31 shifts and 27:10 in the Feb. 6 Canadiens victory — and owns the NHL's heaviest shot. He also offers up a trespassers-will-be-prosecuted message for those who dare venture near his own crease.
As Tkachuk, 21, continues to build a case toward being a potential captain of the Senators, Weber provides a shining example of how to lead.
“I haven't been in that dressing room, but I just go by word of mouth and what he looks like on the ice,” Senators coach D.J. Smith said of Weber's presence. “It's his leadership. His size, strength, toughness, shot, puck ability. But he brings a level of calmness probably to that group. And he knows the way it's got to be done. It's done right and the teams that he is on play that way. When you get a guy like that, you're lucky.”
Senators winger Austin Watson played with Weber on the Nashville Predators and says he's “one of, if not the, best (leaders) in the league.”
He sees some similarities in how Tkachuk approaches the game.
“For a guy like Brady, the way he competes and just how hard he is to play against, that's something that's not easy to do on a regular basis,” said Watson.
“He's going to score 20, 30 goals in a normal season, and for him to go and do that extra, that is the stuff leaders do, to be out there and be the hardest to play against, the hardest working. Everyone has a different leadership style and the way that they lead. And as he gets older and as he plays more games and as he goes through different ups and downs within his own game and within our group, he is just going to get better and better.”
Tkachuk recognizes what well-established players such as Weber mean to their teams and the NHL, but on a young Senators team, he says he needs to flex his muscles against everyone.
“I learned at a young age not to be a back seat to anybody,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for a lot of the older guys, but we're fighting every day to get wins in this league. There are some tough guys, but I like to play with passion and emotion and lead by example.”
THE BACKUP PLAN: With Marcus Hogberg out for the foreseeable future, Joey Daccord is Matt Murray's understudy, but there's no immediate rush to give him a start in net.
“We'll see how it goes with practices for Joey,” Smith said. “Murray is our guy for sure and at some point we would like to take a look at Joey. It's just a matter of being the right time.”