Tim Stutzle skipped the Senators' dinner with Brady Tkachuk, and Keith Yandle isn't buying the explanation.
Stutzle told reporters Wednesday morning he didn't attend because “I have a chef.” On Thursday's Spittin' Chiclets, Yandle translated: “AKA, I wasn't invited.”
As many as 10 Senators had dinner with Tkachuk on Tuesday, including Jake Sanderson and Drake Batherson. Sanderson organized it.
Yandle, a close friend of the Tkachuk family, said he was “honestly shocked hearing how many guys went to dinner and how hard they played against each other.”
Ryan Whitney added fuel. “I believe at one point Stutzle and Brady were close and even lived together. You can tell there's zero love lost there.”
Nobody outside that group knows who got an invite. But “I have a chef” is the kind of line that lives forever in a dressing room.
Then came the game. Ottawa rolled over Florida 5-1 on Wednesday night, and the former captain was tossed in the third period.
Keith Yandle slams Senators fans for booing Brady Tkachuk's tribute
The welcome-back video highlighted his community work over eight seasons in Ottawa. The sellout crowd of 17,010 booed so loudly nobody could hear it.
“I thought it was a little disgusting that they booed while they were giving him the ceremony on TV,” Yandle said.
Paul Bissonnette told him to “shut up.” Whitney didn't side with him either.
Yandle's wrong on this one. A tribute for a former captain in a building this raw was always going to turn into a referendum, and Ottawa voted.
Booing the video is like heckling the slideshow at your ex's going-away party. Petty, sure, but everyone in the room understood the feeling.
He's still producing in Florida. Tkachuk has 10 points over his last five games.
Stutzle leads the Senators with 15 points, so whatever's happening off the ice hasn't slowed him on it.
Both teams came back to earth Thursday. The Senators lost 6-2 to San Jose, and the Panthers dropped a 4-0 decision in Pittsburgh.
These clubs meet again November 25 in Florida. If there's a dinner before that one, everybody will be checking the guest list.
Were Senators fans right to boo Brady Tkachuk's tribute video?
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