Father’s Day was supposed to be celebratory. But Brady Tkachuk was on edge, wondering when he’d get a life-changing call.Then still captain of the Ottawa Senators, the 26-year-old Tkachuk spent the weekend in St. Louis, the city where he grew up thanks to his father, Keith, playing nine NHL seasons with the St. Louis Blues. On Sunday morning, the Tkachuks celebrated the baptism of Brady’s niece, Camille “Millie” Tkachuk, daughter of brother and Florida Panthers winger Matthew, over brunch at a local restaurant. They returned to the family home in time for pictures ahead of another party, this time to celebrate the Tkachuks’ gold medal victory at the 2026 Milan Olympics with Team USA.It had been a whirlwind of a day, so Brady decided to put his phone away for five minutes. Then his grandfather John, also known as Chuck, broke the news.After reading a notification on his smartwatch, the elder Tkachuk came across reports from ESPN’s Emily Kaplan and The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun that Brady had been traded to Florida, where he would join Matthew as teammates. Brady, aghast, raced back to his phone to see he had missed nearly a dozen phone calls.“Everything just happened so fast,” Brady said Tuesday on the latest edition of his “Wingmen” podcast alongside cohost Matthew.Brady Tkachuk to the Florida PanthersSean McIndoe and Sean GentilleThe podcast is one of a handful of media appearances Tkachuk has made since the trade, including his introductory news conference in Florida and an ensuing appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” It continued a busy stretch for the Tkachuk family — and Brady in particular — over the 48-plus hours since the blockbuster deal that rocked the hockey world.On Saturday morning, Brady was told by his agent and uncle, Craig Oster, that he was on the verge of being traded. It had been over a month since Tkachuk notified the Senators that he wanted to leave after eight seasons with the franchise. In possession of a full no-movement clause, the winger was interested in speaking to four teams, but one rose above the rest: the Panthers, winners of two Stanley Cup titles since Matthew arrived under similar circumstances in a July 2022 trade from the Calgary Flames.Though the idea of skating with his brother was enticing, and Matthew himself called it a “dream” to play alongside Brady, the latter Tkachuk says it was the Panthers’ winning culture that ultimately made him want to join.“Florida’s always been the toughest games these last bunch of years,” Brady told Matthew on their podcast. “Just the way you guys play, and the winning background. It just shows it’s all about winning. You have guys that came from different spots, came from different teams and found a lot of success. I made this decision taking you out of it. It wasn’t about you; you know how much I love you.“I just have always, every single time after playing you guys, (I’m) just like ‘Holy cow, that team is incredible, and they have a chance to win every single year.’”By Sunday afternoon, Tkachuk’s wish had been granted, and the brothers were free to celebrate. It wouldn’t be their final party, however.