Canadiens Analysis
Montreal Canadiens Logically Adopt ‘Take No Prisoners’ Attitude
For years, if not decades, the Montreal Canadiens have been pushed around by most teams in the NHL, and when the going got tough, they got running. It was a frustrating combination of a lack of talent and a lack of size, which is what led to the deep-seated insecurity issues many fans have when it comes to team toughness, or perhaps more accurately, the longtime lack thereof.
Of course, overcorrections are possible.
With that in mind, there was some pearl clutching on social media regarding Arber Xhekaj’s reaction to the late hit by Ridly Greig on Kirby Dach, as many called for an immediate demotion to the AHL, with the driving force being that he simply can not be trusted by his teammates and the coaching staff.
For the record, Xhekaj was not suspended for his late hit. The NHL likely recognized that he did not make contact with anyone’s head, and that Tim Stutzle’s own stick hit him. He deserved the penalty he received during the game, but as per usual, everything regarding Xhekaj is magnified to the nth degree. In case anyone is wondering, Greig himself admitted it was a bad hit on Dach, and he understood why the Canadiens reacted with such intensity.
Let’s make one thing clear, while you don’t want to see Xhekaj kicked out of every game that involves a shady hit on a Canadiens player, we can safely assume no one in the organization had an issue with what he did, and that includes the head coach.
“The penalty to (Arber) Xhekaj (tonight) isn’t the same as the one he had last game. It’s a hockey play. But we have to be more disciplined as a team & more calculated…”
“I felt for the most part…I felt tonight: I didn’t mind it. What (Arber Xhekaj) did tonight…he was just… pic.twitter.com/dVUHlytSID
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 2, 2024
It’s Been A Long Time Running
You could argue St-Louis’ team has gone overboard in some preseason situations, and you’d be right, but the current edition of the Canadiens has watched player after player take part in the sadness parade down the tunnel and into the infirmary, and it’s quite clear they’re sick of it.
As the 20th century poet Mos Def once explained, “Why did one straw break the camel’s back? Here’s the secret. There are a million other straws underneath it.”
Did Xhekaj overreact to Greig’s late hit, which forced Dach to leave the game for a stretch? Probably.
Do the Canadiens have reason to be touchy when it comes to a player like Dach, who they lost for 80 games last season ? Absolutely. Especially when we consider newcomer Patrik Laine was injured just a few days ago by a forward who clearly did not have the skill set necessary to play in the NHL.
Xhekaj was brought into the lineup because when he focuses on the game he’s a very useful defenceman, but if we’re being perfectly honest, he’s also to ensure the team would no longer get their ass kicked on a nightly basis, as they did for the better part of 20 years.
Losing games is a guarantee in a rebuild, but losing your teammates is not something a team that aspires to better things in the near future can endure for an eternity without reacting.
It’s with this mindset that the team is approaching the upcoming season. The Canadiens are no longer willing to be the league’s whipping boy in the NHL’s war of attrition.
In a league where referees have a long history of losing control of the games, teams taking matters into their own hands feels like an inevitable consequence.
No one will remember the Canadiens lost a meaningless preseason game due to Xhekaj’s penalty, but everyone will remember he went out of his way to defend his teammate.
“It was a late hit (on Kirby Dach). I thought it was pretty high. I didn’t watch it too much. It’s the 2nd game this preseason where one of our better players gets sent down the tunnel.”
“It’s about answering the bell, he (Ridley Grieg) definitely didn’t wanna do that. I have… pic.twitter.com/g7lklTlJpi
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 2, 2024
Sadly, this frontier justice is what happens when a league refuses to fully enforce its own rules. How much of this nonsense happens in Europe or US colleges? Players are forced to take matters into their own hands and, oftentimes, people get hurt. The NHL and its AHL Affiliate are bush leagues.
Thanks Mark for so many good articles…a small correction here : Cedric Pare is a forward, not a D. But I agree he shouldn’t be on a NHL ice.
Thanks for pointing it out, clear mistake on my part. It’s been fixed.
Cheers!
I have zero issues with what Xhekaj did. Greig, like many smaller agitator types, likes to run his mouth out there while he’s taking cheap shots, and he ducked the fight for most of the game before finally taking his lumps from Dach.
Caufield said, “Nobody’s out there trying to injure anyone.” He must have been practicing in front of a mirror to say that with a straight face. They are doing EXACTLY that, when they drive a guy into the boards from behind, stick their knee out at the last minute to take out somebody else’s knee, or any of the hundreds of little dirty plays that happen every single game. Are they trying to kill each other, no, but saying that no players try to hurt other players is disingenuous at best, and an outright lie otherwise.
For every Lady Bing candidate there are 20+ other roster players who are anything but.
im confused
If xhekaj didnt make contact with anything more than stuzzy’s hands, which then bounced his stick into his face, why was he penalized at all?
No contact?
A fly by intimidation and the stuzzle kid smacks himself in the face because he is excrementing in his pants at the time…
So, if you “check” a player’s hands, you get a penalty?
It was a late hit
Formally, it was Interference. There was definitely some contact. To a large degree, the proper penalty would have been 2 minutes for Interference. But it happened so quickly, and looked like a high hit, (He’s tall), therefore the call.
Late hit regardless, your stick is part of you. But that is all it was, he should have control of his stick. I often wonder what the penalty had been had his stick cut Xhekaj? It was a 2 minute penalty and after the games the refs and league realized it, therefore not giving Xhekaj a suspennsion.
If they go after Montreal to players why not go after theirs
One reason why Xhekaj has a lot of penalties and fights is because his coach in junior hockey Jay McKee was also a player who had a lot of fights and penalties. So no doubt Arber received a lot of positive reinforcement and encouragement to play this role to the
fullest. And his brother was likely also encouraged by Jay to play a similar style of play.
Because of his Reckless, and Wildman behavior, Habs brass MUST deal with Arber Xhekaj. They can start by signing him to an 8yr extension. ASAP!
As someone who (unfortunately) remembers “The Smurfs” being bloodied, and humiliated on a nightly basis, this is like Christmas And New Year’s rolled into one.
People in other cities are pi***ng and moaning because they know they have no answer to The Sheriff. The Habs are Mad as Hell and they aren’t going to take it anymore.
My one regret is that The Deputy wasn’t there. He seems to have an even shorter fuse than The Sheriff.
Him, and Tuch can’t get here sòn enough.
Great writing bty Marc!
I think Marty is handling it pretty well. We do have to have it under control, but a little hyper craziness at the start of the year knda sends a message across the league I think. Like your buddy’s crazy ex-girlfriend. Stay away! I think it will give us a bit of respect to het things started. Doesn’t hurt that Struble leveled a solid one and Pez is still on patrol aa well. But we also don’t want to represent as a team that can be knocked off it’s game by extra-curricular activities. Controlled violence is what is required, when required. Its been a crazy pre-season. The Laine hit was just unfortunate. Laine hasn’t played serious hockey in almost a year, and Pare is not in Laine’s class. Pare played him too wide and Laine had him beat, but then Laine left his left leg hanging too long. His move would have been cleaner if he was in game shape. The rest is just over hype from both sides.