Brady Tkachuk’s ‘rollercoaster’ ride: from A to C, 7 years for No. 7

Into the room walks Brady Tkachuk, captain of the Ottawa Senators — the face, as they say, of the franchise.

Yes, about that face. The skin looks flawless, like it’s never met a razor. He is surprisingly tall, with short, tightly curled hair, a strong jaw, eyebrows that can work ferociously.

Of all the Senators, come to think, he most resembles an actual Roman senator, the kind on statues, though maybe one who also shops at Tanger outlets: beige hoodie, black Under Armour jacket with hanging sunglasses, sporty jodhpur-like pants that stop three inches short of the ankle, little black socks, stylish grey sneakers.

He’s 22. It’s a look.

We will grow up with this man — now locked in for seven years, with the fresh C on the jersey — as we did with Alfie and Erik, his best-remembered predecessors. By the time he leaves, he may own a mansion, be married, have children. Who knows? It’s all ahead of him, of us.

“I think that’s exactly what it was, a rollercoaster,” he says of the year 2021. “I played a full season, January to May, I had a good summer with my family and friends.”

Then came the dragged-out contract talks, the missed training camp, the whispering (as in, does he really want to be here?) the dramatic signing just hours before the season opener on Oct. 14, the eye-popping numbers: $57.5 million, a Senator until 2028.

“There have been a lot of changes in my life, but it’s been an amazing rollercoaster. I felt the immense support from people around me, this community, people back home.”

Tkachuk looks as though he’ll have no problem leading on the ice. There are nights, certainly, when he’s having more fun than anyone in the 18,000-seat building.

As for his role off the ice, it’s a work in progress.

“It’s been a little bit of a crazy couple of months, so I haven’t really thought long, long term about all that, you know, different adult stuff, you could say,” he said, when asked about putting roots down here, what kind of a leader he might be away from the rink.

“I think, right now, I’m just taking it day-by-day.”

He does think it’s “ultra important” the team captain play a role in the community, a view shared by his partner, Emma Farinacci, who is building her own public profile in the city.

“I think for Emma and I, it’s really important for us, to be a part of charities, whether it’s helping kids, or people with disabilities, we feel it’s important to the both of us.”

Tkachuk, whose first name is actually Braeden, says he’s “loved” living and playing in Ottawa, a city he is still getting to know, as evidenced by his endearing reference to the “fire pit” he has visited on Parliament Hill.

(We shall cut him some slack. He’s 22 and grew up in the United States.)

“I like the (Rideau) Canal, I like the Beavertails, I like the hot chocolate, I like the whole shebang there. I’m definitely excited to do that with Emma and people visiting this year.”

He describes Ottawa as “a small big city” and says fans are quite polite when they recognize him in public places.

“As the years go by, you see more people turn their heads when you walk by,” he said, of life in his fourth season. “But everybody is so respectful….they don’t really interrupt us eating dinner, which is awesome.”

In a year full of COVID-19 anxiety, after a season when fans were mostly barred from home rinks, the sight of a gleeful Tkachuk doing his Frank the Tank dance on opening night — the emperor on his balcony — was a joyous sight in these dreary times.

“I love living here throughout the year and there are so many great people that I’ve met in this city and they’re always supporting not only myself but the team as well.”

To contact Kelly Egan, please call 613-291-6265 or email kegan@postmedia.com

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