Brady Tkachuk and Jordan Staal combat through the NHL playoffs’ opening faceoff | UNW

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs got 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 on-ice captains as soon as the puck dropped to begin the quest for the Stanley Cup.

When taking 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.

Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes and Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators fight during the first period of Game 1 in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., April 18, 2026. (Josh Lavallee/NHLI/Getty Images)

Tkachuk threw a couple of right hands, but Staal delivered a huge blow that connected and knocked Tkachuk to the ice.

This is not the first time Tkachuk dropped the gloves at the opening faceoff this season. He did it twice earlier against New York Islanders captain Anders Lee, including just last week.

Left wing Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators and center Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes fight after the opening faceoff during Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs’ first round at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., 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 as 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.

The 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 U.S. beat Canada in the knockout stage since winning 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 Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 22, 2026. (Vitalii Kliuiev/Getty Images)

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Tkachuk’s Ottawa Senators earned a wild-card bid into the playoffs, while Carolina’s 113 points this season were the second-most in the NHL and the most in the Eastern Conference.

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