Marc Dumont
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
