Ottawa Senators healthy scratch player after he buys 50 tickets for friends and family to face his brother for first time
With the Ottawa Senators facing off tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins, brothers Mathieu Joseph and Pierre-Olivier Joseph were set to play their first game against each other. Instead, just hours before the game, the Ottawa Senators announced that they would be scratching Mathieu Joseph.
It's a odd move for the Senators, considering that Joseph is one of their top 12 forwards, and a heartless one considering the fact that many members of the Joseph family were going to be in attendance for the brothers' first game. Some fans initially criticized head coach DJ Smith for the decision.
However, upon further investigation, Ian Mendes of the Athletic has revealed that there may be more going on behind the scenes that influenced Smith's decision to scratch Joseph, and that whatever influenced the decision, it was not hockey related.
With Smith's reputation for being a player's coach, there must have been a substantial reason for the team to make this decision on an emotional night for the Joseph family. The league will be watching in the next few days if the Senators plan to address this incident, or potentially move on from Joseph entirely.
![Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates scoring against Team Canada during the first period during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/533020.webp "Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates scoring against Team Canada during the first period during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images")
