Brady Tkachuk lost his cool in the final minute of his return to Ottawa, and the Panthers forward was sent off as the Senators closed out a 5-1 win.
The officials tossed him for the last minute of play. It was the right call, because things were about to boil over even further.
He left the ice with his head down, serenaded by boos and some less-than-friendly gestures from the stands.
The royal wave aged badly. He spent the tribute video smiling at the crowd, then spent the final minute of the night in the dressing room.
It's like a stand-up comic heckling the audience early and then bombing for the rest of the set.
This one belonged to Ottawa. The Senators pulled away for a convincing win over a team that came in riding three straight victories.
It was as physical as advertised, with two scraps, plenty of face washing and a whole lot of shoving.
Ottawa's crowd gets the last word on a wild night
Ridly Greig got the better of Sam Bennett after a clean check on Dmitry Kulikov, giving the building one more reason to roar.
The win came at a cost. Linus Ullmark left with what appeared to be a groin injury after a routine save.
He came in with a .945 save percentage, and Samuel Ersson sits at .829 behind him.
The Senators improve to 7-3-0, while Florida falls to 5-3-2.
Travis Green's group needed a night like this after a loss in Philadelphia on Saturday.
He came into the night with six goals in nine games for Florida.
Fans also littered the ice with his jerseys and water bottles, a scene the league may want to look at.
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Every return trip from here on will carry this night's baggage.
Does the villain act still play after a night like this? Florida visits Pittsburgh on Thursday, and Brady will have to answer on the scoresheet instead of with a wave.
Did Brady Tkachuk deserve to be tossed in the final minute against the Senators?
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