Brady Tkachuk has never shied away from the more violent side of the game, but he turned down a fight over the weekend.
On Monday, Tkachuk explained why he didn't fight the Jets' Logan Stanley after the Winnipeg defender punched him near the player benches.
"Obviously, I think (fighting) is a part of who I am and a part of creating room for myself and my teammates," Tkachuk said. "Now, I've got to be smart. I think people forget I had surgery; I missed six weeks. And the repair went well (but) I'm not going to put myself at risk to miss any time for that.
"Obviously I miss it, I wish I could be fighting."
The incident occurred mid-way through the third period of an eventual 4-2 Senators win. Tkachuk and Stanley became engaged in front of the Ottawa bench after the Senators captain threw a hit on the Jets defenceman. The duo got tangled up as Tkachuk tried to free himself from Stanley's grasp while the Senators skated in for a scoring chance, but Stanley then punched Tkachuk in the head without a glove on.
Tkachuk fell to the ice and then furiously started yelling at Stanley and the Jets bench before being given a 10-minute misconduct. Stanley was given four minutes for roughing, and on Sunday, he was suspended for one game for the same.
"I obviously wasn't happy getting suckered, but the league made its decision, and I'm over it," Tkachuk said Monday. "Honestly, I was still watching the play, then out of the corner of my eye I see the punch coming. Caught me by surprise, I didn't really expect it."
Speaking after Jets practice on Monday, Stanley said he didn't know Tkachuk had an injured hand and thought they were going to fight since the Senators captain has been a willing combatant in the past.
"I'm glad he's alright and not injured," Stanley said. "I think it's just heat of the moment, adrenaline is pumping. I'm just thinking we're getting into a scrap... He's fought many times in his career, and when you do get in them, you want to be throwing first and not wait and see what happens."
