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The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs started with a big bang on Saturday.
Team USA folk hero Brady Tkachuk dropped the gloves with Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes in a battle of captains on the ice as soon as the puck dropped to begin the pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
When he took the ice to begin the game, Tkachuk appeared to ask Staal if he had any interest in getting into it.
Apparently it was a yes.
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Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes and Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators battle during the first period of Game 1 of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC on April 18, 2026. (Josh Lavallee/NHLI/Getty Images)
Tkachuk threw a couple of right hands, but Staal delivered a huge punch that connected and knocked Tkachuk to the ice.
It’s not the first time Tkachuk has dropped the gloves in the opener this season. He did it twice before against New York Islanders skipper Anders Lee, including last week.
Left wing Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators and center Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes battle after the opening kickoff during Game 1 of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC on April 18, 2026. (Katherine Gawlik/Icon Sportswire)
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Tkachuk stole the hearts of American hockey fans last year when, playing for Team USA at the 4 Nations, he got into a fight with Team Canada’s Sam Bennett just three seconds after his brother, Matthew, got into a fight when the puck dropped.
Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk are teammates on the back-to-back reigning champion Florida Panthers, who failed to qualify for the playoffs this year.
Tkachuks won Olympic gold in February, getting long-awaited revenge on Canada, which has dominated the rivalry in men’s ice hockey.
It was the USA’s first gold in men’s ice hockey since 1980 and the first time the USA beat Canada in the knockout stage since they won gold over Canada in 1960.
Brady Tkachuk of the United States celebrates winning the gold medal during the men’s gold medal game against Canada at the Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on February 22, 2026. (Vitalii Kliuiev/Getty Images)
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Tkachuk’s Ottawa Senators earned a wild-card bid in the playoffs, while Carolina’s 113 points this season were second-most in the NHL and most in the Eastern Conference.
