Senators' Brady Tkachuk gets 100% honest about being first NHL player to be high-sticked five consecutive games

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk has found himself on the wrong side of an unprecedented NHL statistic.

Tkachuk is officially the first player in league history to be on the receiving end of a high-sticking infraction in five consecutive games since the NHL began tracking penalty data in the 1997-98 season.

Speaking Wednesday morning, Tkachuk acknowledged he was aware something out of the ordinary was happening but didn’t grasp the historical significance until it was pointed out to him.

“I’ve noticed it’s been a lot of games in a row, and then when [Senators Vice President of Communications Ian Mendes] told me that it’s never happened before, I’m like, ‘well, I don’t think anybody gets that luck,’” he said.

He explained that he had noticed the repeated incidents piling up but only realized the uniqueness of the situation after learning that no player had ever experienced it before. Tkachuk admitted the streak caught him off guard.

“Usually, I thought things happen in threes, but I guess they’re happening in fives right now,” he joked.

Andrew Wilimek

@AndrewWilimek

Brady Tkachuk is the first player to be on the receiving end of a high-sticking infraction in five consecutive games since the NHL started keeping this penalty data in the 1997-98 season, “I’ve noticed it’s been a lot of games in a row, and then when @ian_mendes told me that

The high-sticking penalties have largely come during net-front battles and contested puck situations, areas where Tkachuk regularly operates due to his physical playing style. The sequence began on December 6 in Ottawa when St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas inadvertently missed a stick lift and caught Tkachuk in the eye area resulting in the first of the five penalties.

Ottawa has scored nine power-play goals in its last 22 opportunities, good for roughly a 25.5% conversion rate ranking sixth in the NHL.

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Analyst links Brady Tkachuk to the Philadelphia Flyers

Earlier last week, NHL analyst Colby Cohen connected Brady Tkachuk to a potential future fit with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Speaking on ‘Snow The Goalie: A Flyers Podcast’, Cohen suggested Philadelphia would be a serious option if Tkachuk ever gains the ability to choose his next destination.

"People get all frustrated every time this comes up," Cohen said. "The Flyers will be a team, when the day comes when Brady Tkachuk has opportunities to go places, the Flyers will be a team that he will seriously look at, OK, when that day comes…"

Cohen also noted that Tkachuk spends part of his summers near the Jersey Shore due to family connections.

Tkachuk remains, however, firmly under contract in Ottawa. He is signed to a seven-year $57.6 million deal carrying a cap hit of just over $8.2 million which runs through the 2027-28 season. At that point, he would be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent.