Friday 13 January 2012

Game 43: Montréal 1, Boston 2

Another 2-1 loss to the Bruins tonight, which took a back seat to the developing story of Mike Cammalleri's alleged trade. The news pretty much took the sting out of the loss. At least the organization is done with wallpapering and spackle jobs, they're now undergoing the major renovation.

How did we get here so quickly? I remember the enthusiasm at the end-of-summer golf tournament, how all was sunny and great. Tonight it's as dark as I can remember since the Irving Grundman and Réjean Houle era.

Mike Cammalleri was, I thought, a consummate pro who trained hard in the off-season and worked hard on the ice, scored big goals but celebrated soberly, with class. I believed that his slow start was a reflection of an early season injury, but obviously there was more to the story.

Long term, I worry about the damage to the organization, its ability to make trades and develop players and attract free agents with the massive drain of credibility occurring this season. The team imperatively must find strong leadership for the front office, to calm the roiling waters, quell internal dissension and set the direction.

While we're trading away big chunks, players who we thought we could build around, let's send P.K. far, far away. I give up. I don't care anymore about his vast stores of talent and potential. His actions tonight disqualify him from wearing the bleu blanc rouge. He dishes out a big elbow to David Krejci, a dirty play on a smaller skilled player who had done nothing to attract that kind of attention. When Brad Ference tried to take him to task, as I grudgingly admit he had a right to, P.K. flopped down, again, and covered up with his arms to protect his beautiful face. Once the scrum was over and the referees had come to rescue him, he stood up with his trademark big grin, as if the preceding events were all a big joke and he was above all this nonsense.

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