Brady Tkachuk and Jordan Staal fight during the NHL playoffs’ opening faceoff

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs started with a 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 his quest for the Stanley Cup.

Tkachuk taking the ice to start the game He appeared to ask Staal if he was interested in getting into this business.

Apparently it was a yes.

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Tkachuk threw a few right hands but Staal dealt a big blow this connected and knocked Tkachuk to the ice.

This isn’t the first time Tkachuk has dropped his gloves in this season’s opener. He’s done this twice before, including last week against New York Islanders captain Anders Lee.

Left wing Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators and center Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes fight after the opening matchup in Game 1 of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on April 18, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Katherine Gawlik/Icon Sportswire)

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While playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations last year, Tkachuk stole the hearts of American hockey fans when he brawled with Team Canada’s Sam Bennett just three seconds after his brother Matthew entered the fray as the puck was dropping.

Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk are teammates on the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers, who failed to qualify for the playoffs this year.

The Tkachuks won the Olympic gold medal in February, taking long-awaited revenge on Canada, which dominated the competition in men’s ice hockey.

This was the United States’ first gold medal in men’s ice hockey since 1980 and the first time the United States beat Canada in the knockout stage after beating Canada in 1960.

Brady Tkachuk of the United States celebrates winning the gold medal in 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 on February 22, 2026. (Vitalii Kliuiev/Getty Images)

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

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