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Weekend deals by Panthers and Leafs mean a very tough, very deep Atlantic Division has gotten tougher and deeper.
Author of the article:
Jack Todd • Special to Montreal Gazette
Published Jun 22, 2026 • Last updated 26 minutes ago • 4 minute read
Canadiens' Jake Evans battles Ottawa Senators' Brady Tkachuk in front of Samuel Montembeault during second period in Montreal on Dec. 2, 2025.
Canadiens' Jake Evans battles Ottawa Senators' Brady Tkachuk in front of Samuel Montembeault during second period in Montreal on Dec. 2, 2025. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
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Let’s face it: Brady Tkachuk was as out of place in our nation’s capital as a man-bun on a U.S. Marine.
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Always a bully who couldn’t back it up and a leader who didn’t lead, Tkachuk became expendable after his strident anti-Canadian attitude in Milan and his no-show during Ottawa’s meek exit from a playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
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He won’t be missed.
The deal was a gutsy move on the part of the Senators. They did what the Maple Leafs should have done with Auston Matthews at any point in the past five seasons — recognize the fact that their giant toddler of an alleged captain was never going to get them over the line. The Senators made a deal that netted them three first-rounders, two of them in Thursday’s draft, and a second-round pick. They also dumped Tkachuk’s US$8.2 million cap hit for a player who is barely worth half that.
After the Milan Olympics and his obnoxious appearance at the White House, Tkachuk’s sorry act was never going to fly in Ottawa. Calgary or Edmonton, maybe. (A franchise that would even consider hiring Mike Babcock has no shame.)
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Now the Senators have cleared the decks for a rapid rebuild and the Canadiens need to be alert. Even if the term is four years too long, Toronto’s deal with Darren Raddysh gives the Leafs the best defenceman they’ve had in at least a decade and Aleksander Barkov is still back in Florida. A very tough, very deep Atlantic Division has gotten tougher and deeper, even if Ottawa has to take a bit of a detour.
Goodbye to a piece of Canada: So Hockey Night in Canada is gone after 95 years of broadcasting. We can now say goodbye to free television broadcasts. If you want to see NHL teams on your flat screen or your ancient little black-and-white, you will have to pour more bucks into the pockets of Ted Rogers.
No more Savardian spinaramas or cannonading drives. No more popping open a cold bottle of Dow as you settled into your favourite chair to watch Rocket Richard or Jean Béliveau or Guy Lafleur spin through warmups.
It feels like a part of Canada is gone. Swept away by the big broom of money and money and bigger money. That Sportsnet has never come close to matching the broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada during its heyday doesn’t matter to the suits in Toronto so long as the money machine keeps spewing out numbers.
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Hockey Night in Canada broadcasters Danny Gallivan, left, and Dick Irvin Jr. together during the 1970s in Montreal.
Hockey Night in Canada broadcasters Danny Gallivan, left, and Dick Irvin Jr. together during the 1970s in Montreal. Aussie Whiting / Montreal Gazette
Mercifully, this puts an end to the CBC as water boy for Sportsnet. The network has wisely decided to put its assets and expertise to work covering Canada’s athletes, rather than the two leagues that are most of Sportsnet’s reason for being — the NHL and MLB, with a dollop of NBA and a whole lotta poker.
Meanwhile, empty suits in Toronto making key decisions about our national sport is nothing new. During the playoffs, I heard from the great Dick Irvin Jr., who was sticking up for our usual Sportsnet crew (John Bartlett and Garry Galley) after they were unceremoniously replaced by Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson out of Toronto because the Leafs weren’t in the playoffs.
Something similar once happened to Irvin and almost prompted him to retire prematurely. He didn’t but when he did retire in 1999, the Canadiens failed to honour one half of the most renowned broadcast duo in NHL history: Irvin and Danny Gallivan. (Nor did they honour Gallivan when he retired in 1984.)
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It’s too late for Gallivan, who died in 1993 — but it’s not too late to recognize Irvin for a great broadcasting career that was intertwined with the last Canadiens dynasty and to offer tribute to Gallivan and René Lecavalier at the same time.
You’re welcome, Chantal Machabée. Make it happen.
Lies, rumours &&&& vicious innuendo: One of these days, we’ll figure out why the Alouettes released Austin Mack. A lousy thing to do to the guy and it has already come back to haunt them. …
It’s early days, but we already have our Diver of the World Cup, Agustin Canobbio of Uruguay. After a player from Cape Verde brushed his upper back, Canobbio hit the turf clutching his lower back and writhed around in a display worthy of Neymar Jr. in Russia eight years ago. …
We liked Jesse Marsch when he was the first MLS coach for the Montreal Impact. We like him even more for his performance in what the broadcasters tell us (at least 138 times a day) is the “world’s biggest stage.” Not only is Marsch a great coach and a class act, he also delivers a world-class celebration dance.
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Heroes: Ismaël Koné, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Nathan Saliba, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Cape Verde, Curaçao, Vozinha, Eloy Room, Davis Alexander, Tyler Snead, Austin Mack, the Ottawa Senators &&&& last but not least, Jesse Marsch.
Zeros: Brady Tkachuk, Gianni Infantino, FIFA, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mike Babcock, Stan Bowman, Daryl Katz, the Edmonton Oilers, Carter Hart, Kelly McCrimmon, the Vegas Knights, “hydration” breaks, Agustin Canobbio, Alexi Lalas, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu &&&& last but not least, David Samson and Jeffrey Loria.
Now and forever.
jacktodd46@yahoo.com
jacktodd.bsky.social
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