Rocket:
As I recall, last season, certain teams in the league took liberties with our star players, and it was left to a great-team-player-but-relative-lightweight Tom Kostopoulos to step in and stand up for his teammates.
This year was going to be different crowed some, including the myopic Yvon Pedneaut: “No one around the team was happy with an injured Komisarek being roughed up by the Bruins in the playoffs. That plays a part in why Georges is here now.” He repeated the same odd statement on the HNIC broadcast tonight. Seems that over the long summer, Pedneault forgot that Laraque was a non-factor for the playoff version of the Penguins last spring finding himself watching the action from the press box.
So tonight it was a good first period by the Canadiens and a 2-0 lead. Early in the second, the Coyotes Kurt Sauer delivered a solid double forearm smash to the head of Andrei Kostitsyn. Kostitsyn crashed awkwardly into the glass and then the ice. He lay motionless for a time and then waived off the stretcher and struggled with assistance to get to the dressing room. (No word on his injuries which could include a concussion, and a broken cheekbone or orbital fracture.)
My first reaction was to look to the referees for an appropriate response. After all, Gary Bettman promised us that head shots would be handled severely by the league. Yet the guys in stripes couldn’t find any foul on the play.
So surely Pedneault would weigh-in on this, given his comments about the Canadiens being roughed up last year. Bizarrely, Yvon thought it was a clean hit. In fact, he repeated this line several times, even going further to say that Andrei put himself in a vulnerable position. I wager that Pedneault’s story would have been different if one of his little darlings (like Lapierre) was on the receiving end of a headshot. But hey, its just a guy with a funny name from that unpronounceable city in Belarus. So who cares, right Yvon?
So, should I assume that some media types and fans were correct? Perhaps the Canadiens do need an enforcer to take care of matters in situations like this. Was it time for #17? Yet on the next shift, it was Sergei Kostitsyn who, through a light bump behind the net, delivered a message to the Coyotes for his brother. For this, the referees assessed a minor for roughing (a truly ridiculous call).
As the minutes in the second period passed, Kurt Sauer remained untouched, with Georges Laraque attempting his best impression of a hockey player. Georges would explain later that he didn’t feel that Sauer (6’4″, 220lbs.) was in his weight class. I see. So it seems that the Canadiens enforcer will protect his star teammates only if they are harassed by that narrow group of opposition players who Laraque deems meet his criteria. Is that the best use of a valuable roster spot?
It was left to that great teammate, Tom Kostopoulos, to stand up for the fallen ‘comrade’. (Haven’t we seen this movie before?) You see, Tom doesn’t abide by those silly rules of weight class. He was clearly outsized and outmatched by Sauer. But he delivered for Andrei K. and the rest of his teammates when Laraque chose not to step up. (In the interest of full disclosure, Georges did give Sauer an unfriendly face wash in a scrum. Is that why the Habs pay him $1.5M?)
Later, Laraque was flattened by Shane Doan (how did that happen?) With seconds remaining in the second period, only then did Georges drop the gloves and take out his frustrations on Todd Fedoruk.
So what has changed from last year?
With respect to the hockey game, it was the Captain’s night. Saku Koivu had a goal and two assists (via brilliant passes), won an incredible 86% of his faceoffs, and showed leadership in helping Sergei K. to refocus after the injury to his brother. Oh, and one more point, Koivu did all this in 12:44 of icetime…only 1 minute more than the Habs enforcer-in-name-only Laraque.
Alex Tanguay also had a strong game with 2 goals. He seems to be getting more comfortable with Koivu. One wonders how good this line could be with a player on the LW with some touch and finish. Latendresse did get an assist but was completely incidental on the goals by his linemates.
Glad that Carbo woke up in the third period and finally inserted SK-74 on the Plekanec line to replace AK-46. Who better than Sergei to fit into the playing style of the #1 line?
Carey Price had another solid game. A first period save on Doan would have been described by Danny as “enormous!” Later Price would rob Steve Reinprecht. Brise owes Carey a few more dinners after being bailed out again tonight on several occasions.
The Coyote who caught my attention was Mikkel Boedker. This former teammate of Yannick Weber displayed great speed and the ability to create open ice for himself.
We’ll now anxiously await the medical news on Andrei Kostitsyn.
Pre-game:
HNIC sends Cole, Millen and Pedneault. yikes! not even worthy of a ‘B’ team label!
Higgins, Bouillon not yet cleared to play. Begin sits again.
Rocket’s 3 stars:
1. Saku Koivu
2. Alex Tanguay
3. Andrei Markov
(photo credit: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)