by Andrew Saadalla, Guest Columnist, All Habs Hockey Magazine
What a time it is to be a Montreal Canadiens fan.
Finally, nearly two months after authoring an article about respecting Max Pacioretty it appears that the message has been received loud and clear. Specifically, the piece called on Canadiens followers and press to show the captain the respect that he had earned as the Habs’ uncontested leader.
If you recall, certain media outlets and public personalities did not shy away from painting Pacioretty in a negative light after the 28-year-old started the 2016-2017 regular season schedule well below his projected offensive production.
After all, one of the National Hockey League’s most clutch and notorious goal-scorers for the better part of the last five years had a measly five goals and 14 points in 22 games. That said, I thought it was normal that fans and journalists’ expectations towards Pacioretty’s output were higher. What I could not fathom, however, was how downright disrespectful the mainstream media were to be towards him.
For instance, this article by TVA Sports not only called Pacioretty out for an honest mistake, but also showcased screenshots of several angry tweets by disgruntled fans who expressed their discontent towards number 67.
“The captain of the Montreal Canadiens, Max Pacioretty, finds himself in a controversy. The American did not take the ice after receiving the third star of the game. He quickly greeted the crowd and then returned to the dressing room.” — TVA (translated)
There was also the infamous rant by Doc Mailloux, who had alluded to Pacioretty being “not masculine enough” and that “God had abandoned (him.)” Mailloux referred to the team’s captain as being best suited to a sport like badminton.
Evidently, many fans raised conspiracies regarding whether the mainstream media was deliberately trying to push the New Canaan, Connecticut native out of Montreal and towards greener pastures.
The outcry of overly emotional fans begging for the supposed “soft” left-winger to be traded was outrageously loud. Many believed that the acquisition of former Nashville Predators’ captain Shea Weber via trade all but implied that there was only room for one player to don the “C” on his jersey.
Somebody had the courage (for a lack of a better term) to ask Pacioretty if he was going to hand over the captaincy to Weber during the start of training camp. The stare of death (as I like to call it) shot towards the journalist made me thankful I wasn’t in that person’s shoes. Then again, I probably would not have asked such a thoughtless question just to stir the pot.
Fast forward to 24 games later and Pacioretty now has 20 goals and 37 points in 46 games played. During the span between November 29th 2016 (when my article was published ahead of the Habs’ game against the Anaheim Ducks) and January 16th of 2017, the team’s captain has managed 15 goals and 23 points in 23 games. Moreover, he tied a Canadiens franchise record for the number of overtime goals by netting his eighth against the Dallas Stars on January fourth.
Since December first 2016, no other player has more than Pacioretty’s 15 goals, including high-profile names such as current league-leading scorers, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Evgeni Malkin. The Habs’ captain sits at the 12th rank with 22 points in that same span, and is tied for second with three game-winning goals.
Since the start of the 2016-2017 regular season schedule, only Jeff Carter with eight has more game-winning goals than Pacioretty, who is tied with Eric Staal, Artem Anisimov and Ovechkin with six tallies each. Since the 2012-2013 season, the 28-year-old is second overall with 33 game-winning goals, bested only by Ovechkin’s 39 goals. Finally, Pacioretty is fifth with 141 goals during the last five years. (NHL.com)
The kicker? Pacioretty played with a broken foot through the entire month of November 2016. He never once complained about it and kept his injury situation under wraps. Safe to say, that is a prime example of leadership, and I would not be surprised to learn that his teammates applauded his courage and determination to soldier through a tough stretch while remaining professional and always available to face the music before and after practices and games.
Supporters of Max Pacioretty who have stuck through with him through thick and thin should be especially proud of themselves, because they were right in defending him unconditionally. The undeniable character that he has demonstrated in the face of adversity is admirable beyond any doubt, and kudos to the fans who have stood by their team’s leader despite a relatively unspectacular start to his season.
It doesn’t take a genius to acknowledge just how valuable he is to the most storied franchise in the NHL. Many members of the mainstream media have taken to the radio or writing articles in order to defend Pacioretty well over a month after his hot streak began, and that’s well and respectable. However, it speaks volumes about their foresight, and I guess one could say that they’re just a little late to the party.
Bold as always, Pacioretty jokingly dared NHL.com’s Arpon Basu to hand him a list of all of the controversies that have surrounded him since he was named captain in September of 2015.
“I can hang it in my dressing room stall if you give it to me… Some extra motivation.” — Max Pacioretty
The question is, can he really be any more motivated than he is right now? Does the noise surrounding him nearly every single day affect him?
“It makes me a lot tougher. People probably look at that stuff and say, ‘that’s a negative part of Montreal.’ But there’s so much good that comes out of the situation that I’m in and that our team’s in that it completely outweighs the negative.” — Max Pacioretty
Ever the down-to-earth realist, he added “… what’s better in life right now?… I’ve got an awesome team, I’m the captain of the best franchise in the world,” he told Basu.
So let me ask you, Habs fans and detractors alike: have you seen the light yet, or do you need more proof that Pacioretty has more than earned respect?