A good article on Max Pacioretty’s first visit to Madison Square Garden from the New York Times:
January 8, 2009
Canadiens 6, Rangers 3
Canadiens Rookie Realizes a Dream at the Garden
By LYNN ZINSER
The first time Max Pacioretty skated onto the ice at Madison Square Garden, he wore a Rangers jersey and looked around with a 12-year-old’s awe. That was eight years ago, and his Little Rangers team was giddily playing a pee-wee game against the Little Islanders before a real Rangers game.
Pacioretty imagined the arena full of fans, instead of a smattering of proud parents snapping pictures, and he imagined himself playing alongside the players he idolized while growing up in New Canaan, Conn.
Pacioretty’s dream came true Wednesday night in Montreal’s 6-3 victory over the Rangers. He skated on the Garden ice again, this time as a rookie forward for the Montreal Canadiens, playing on a line with one of his Ranger idols, Alex Kovalev. And three minutes into the game, he got his first N.H.L. assist, on a goal by Kovalev.
“It’s unbelievable,” Pacioretty said. “Sometimes I just find myself watching him and zoning out, watching the skill that he has. But I know I have to stick to my game.”
Pacioretty and Kovalev make a curious set of bookends at opposite wings, separated by 15 years and more than 1,100 games. While Pacioretty is trying to grow up quickly, Kovalev, in his 16th N.H.L. season, is trying to stay young.
Kovalev lost 10 pounds in the off-season, trying to improve his quickness. He is laboring to match one of the best seasons of his career, an 84-point masterpiece in 2007-8, while injuries take their toll on the team around him. He has only 10 goals and 29 points in 39 games.
Injuries opened a door for Pacioretty, the Canadiens’ first-round draft pick in 2007 who spent last year at the University of Michigan. And he got off to a Kovalev-like start, scoring on his first shot of his first N.H.L. game Friday, in a 4-1 loss to the Devils. Kovalev also scored in his first game, with the Rangers in 1992.
Before Wednesday’s game, Kovalev smiled at the prospect of his young teammate playing at the Garden. “He’s going to have fun,” Kovalev said. “I know how it feels. Those kind of things are nice, young guys coming in and excited to play in this building.”
The thrill got another jolt 3 minutes 5 seconds into the game, when Pacioretty collected an errant pass from Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist behind the net and found Kovalev nearly alone in front. When Kovalev scored, Pacioretty’s smile could have lighted the rink.
“It made the game that much more fun,” Pacioretty said. “Even at the end of the game, in the back of my mind, I had memories of when I was a little kid playing a game. It was a great experience.”
Kovalev was once in Pacioretty’s shoes, as a wide-eyed Rangers rookie. Soon after, Pacioretty was playing hockey in his neighborhood, imitating Kovalev’s style of play.
“I just like the way he stick-handled so much,” Pacioretty said. “He’s got a tremendous amount of skill. Even up until last year, I’d always try and learn moves from him, try and watch him play, see the little things he does to try to improve my game.”
Not that Pacioretty is much like Kovalev. He is a much more physical, at 6 feet 2 and 203 pounds, and he has impressed Montreal Coach Guy Carbonneau.
“Obviously, he’s got the physique of the N.H.L. and the skating of the N.H.L. and his shot is not too shabby also,” Carbonneau said.
Playing Pacioretty on the first line is a sign of Carbonneau’s confidence. Carbonneau has tried to find ways to push the Canadiens and Kovalev back to the level they reached last season, when they finished first in the Eastern Conference.
It has been a bumpier road, but the Canadiens’ victory Wednesday pushed them a point ahead of the Rangers in the East with 52 points. Kovalev, though, is still not scoring as much as he would like.
“Last year, everything was going in,” Kovalev said. “I don’t know how many posts I’ve hit this year. It might be 15 in 30-something games. That’s frustrating sometimes, but there’s nothing you can do. Most important, we are able to win the games, even with the injured guys, and that’s pretty important.”
Pacioretty said Kovalev had been dispensing advice generously and helping him adjust to life in the N.H.L. He said Kovalev told him exactly where to go on the play in which they scored against the Rangers.
The experience of standing at mid-ice at the Garden for the anthems for the first time, though, was Pacioretty’s alone.
“The first thing that came to mind is, it looks a lot smaller when you’re on the ice,” he said. “When you’re in the crowd, the rink looks so much bigger. When you’re on the ice, it looks so small and packed. It’s kind of cool.”
SLAP SHOTS
The Rangers played well for two periods, keeping the score tied, 2-2, but allowed four goals in the third, including three by forward Robert Lang. It was the second hat trick of Lang’s 15-year career.