"He asked me for my opinion and I just told him he needs to make a decision based on what he feels is best for him," said Keith, who played 18 NHL seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, Atlanta Thrashers and St. Louis Blues. "You never want to tell a kid what to do. It's his dream all along to play in the National Hockey League. He still had a great option to go back to Boston University]*
"I saw [Brady] on Friday night and we kind of spoke on what to expect once I found out when he was making that decision," Senators defenseman and fellow St. Louis native Chris Wideman said at the St. Louis AAA Blues Celebrity Golf Classic. "I couldn't be happier for him and I told him anything he ever needs, I'll be there for him and I just can't wait to see him to get it going. He's such a good kid. He's a great player and he comes from an awesome family. ... His dad's done so much for the game in St. Louis and we're all appreciative of what he's done, and now to see Brady playing in the NHL is going to be awesome."
To Wideman, Tkachuk (6-foot-3, 196 pounds) has the physical tools to play in the NHL right away.
"He's a big body and obviously, you can't teach that," Wideman said. "His work ethic is something I've noticed over the years. I've watched him become a man over the last couple summers. He's got some good hands and obviously good bloodline, which doesn't hurt. He knows how to be a pro and he's lived that his entire life."
Should Tkachuk make the Senators roster out of training camp, his first potential game against his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, who was selected by the Calgary Flames with the No. 6 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, would be on Feb. 24, 2018 in Ottawa.
"I'll probably watch it at home or I'll watch something else," Keith said. "I'm very proud of them. I love watching them play. I don't get a chance to see them live very often but I watch them on TV quite a bit. It just means we're getting pretty old."
