Suzuki brothers take opening faceoff in first NHL matchup

The sibling rivalry hit a new high on Saturday for the Suzuki brothers.

To kick off the preseason matchup between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadeins at the Bell Center, brothers Ryan and Nick skated to center ice to take the opening faceoff against each other.

Saturday marked the first time the brothers faced off in an NHL game, and Nick even put in some extra effort to make the moment more special with a brotherly shove on his little bro.

Rob and Amanda Suzuki, Nick and Ryan’s parents, were in the house to watch their kids face off.

“It was a cool moment there,” Ryan told TSN during the first intermission. “It was nice of them to let Nick start there and take the draw against me. Ever since I could skate, we were going at it, so it was kind of like a full circle moment.

“It’s nice to have my parents here, and I know the boys are watching back home,” he said. “It was a cool moment.”

And, yes, younger brother Ryan won the faceoff and the bragging rights that come with that.

“I gave it all I had there,” he said. “I think (Nick) let me win that one.”

The Canadeins drop the puck for the regular season on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS) and the Senators visit the Maple Leafs on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SN) to start their regular season.