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MONTREAL — It was the seminal play in a 5-0 pre-season battering of the Philadelphia Flyers, and there wasn’t even a scoring chance on the other end of it.
But when Patrik Laine picked up the puck behind the net and started his very first rush in a Montreal Canadiens uniform, something relevant — if not magical — happened.
As soon as Laine began to collect steam in his own zone, the buzz in the Bell Centre picked up. It turned into a raucous as he crossed through the neutral zone and shifted his way past the offensive blue line. And even if he was stripped of the puck before he could get the chance to generate his first shot, it permeated for a few extra seconds.
Just like that, a connection was made between Laine and Canadiens fans. The type of special one reserved for a select group of special players who have donned this uniform in the past.
“I didn’t know what was happening, to be honest. I wasn’t focusing on the puck — I always look away from the puck — and then I turned back, and he had the puck, and I realized what was happening,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “I grew up watching Guy Lafleur, and that was a little bit of that.”
That is the promise Laine possesses. The one of an elite goal scorer.
The kind Canadiens fans have longed for since Stephane Richer potted 50 for the club during the 1989-90 season. They haven’t had enough of them since Lafleur played his last game in their uniform.
But Laine has that potential.
He may not have scored one in his first pre-season game for the club, despite recording more shots (5) and more shot attempts (9) than any player in either uniform.
But as he said afterwards, “Can’t win the Rocket (Richard) Trophy in pre-season.”
Still, Laine probably left the building feeling like he won something on this night (in addition to the hockey game).
This is the level of support the 26-year-old was craving to begin his quest to revive his once-promising career, which was derailed last season by injury and off-ice issues that required a stint in the NHL/NHLPA Players’ Assistance program. He said, upon being traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Canadiens in August, that he was hoping to land in a hockey market like the one he started his career in to once again experience the atmosphere that drove him to be the best version of himself.
Laine was a 44-goal scorer in Winnipeg and came to Montreal with the intention of becoming one again, so it really meant something to him to have the fans treat him like one right out of the gate.
“I’ve played here many times, but never in pre-season,” the big Finn, who’s wearing No. 92 with the Canadiens, said. “It was absolutely crazy tonight, so I wasn’t expecting that.
“Super happy to be here. This crowd is just one of the best I’ve ever seen, so more than happy to be playing here in the future.”
Canadiens fans made it clear they’re happy to have Laine here right now.
They might have to wait a bit to see him finish those rushes with his hands in the air — Laine skated just three times before arriving in Montreal in late August, and both he and St. Louis have talked about how the focus for now is just getting up to speed and into optimal condition prior to the start of the regular season — but there’s reason to believe he’ll give them much to cheer about as time moves along.
“I can understand the excitement they have,” said St. Louis.
“You look at his resume, and I know his career was trending like this,” he added while pointing upward. “I know sometimes you hit some bumps along the way and, for us, we’re trying to get that thing going back up again. And I think the fans are definitely behind him right now, and I feel like the respect is always earned and it’s something you have to do each and every day, and I know Patty’s going to try do that each and every day and we’re going to try to help him so he can get that out of them each and every other day.”
It’ll come as chemistry continues to form for Laine with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, as he gets more accustomed to the Canadiens’ style of play and environment, and as he gets more opportunities to play at the Bell Centre.
It brought something out of Laine we hadn’t quite seen through the first few days of training camp, and that was more important than all the goals the Canadiens piled up in a game that has no bearing on their standing this season.
Other observations
• That other Finn wearing a number in the 90s is making a strong bid to change the picture at forward for the Canadiens.
It’s Montreal or Sweden for Oliver Kapanen this season and, if No. 91 keeps going this way, it’s going to be Montreal.
You’d think it would be more of an adjustment to North American ice — especially for a player who hasn’t played much (or, really, at all) on this surface before arriving at the professional level — but Kapanen’s positioning has been so strong since the start of this camp that the other obvious skills he possesses are popping with every shift he takes.
The active stick, the fast-twitch hand movements, the hockey sense: It all screams NHL.
If Kapanen keeps leveraging those assets — like he did to make the initial plays on two goals for his linemates in the third period — he’s going to make it very hard for the Canadiens to send him back to the SHL.
• During the first period of the game, I had a flash of St. Louis talking at the beginning of camp about how Lane Hutson will have to show just how engaged he is without the puck because he won’t have it on his stick nearly as much as he did in college. Then I started laughing.
St. Louis is right, obviously, but Hutson will certainly have the puck on his stick enough to do all the things that make him such an electrifying player.
You know why? Because Hutson wants it on his stick.
It’s a big reason why the players who are guaranteed their spots on this team want him in their lineup.
“You need guys like this,” said David Savard earlier on Monday. “You see all the best teams, they bring guys that want the puck, that want to make the difference, and I think he’s that kind of player. He came in full of confidence, and I think he’s making really good reads too. There’s no bad turnovers or anything coming from him. It’s always like it makes sense, even if it doesn’t make sense in my head. When you see it after — what he’s trying — sometimes it feels like it’s crazy, but it’s been working. His vision is elite. It’s just fun to see him come around, make plays and make a difference for our team, and we need players like that if we want to take the next step…”
• Subtle, smart, steady game for Logan Mailloux. Nothing flashy, nothing over the top, and that’s exactly how he’ll force management to consider keeping him in Montreal when the season starts.
A year ago in the pre-season, Mailloux wanted to show off his skill so bad he was hyperactive.
Remember this, with the defenceman choosing to dive deep into the offensive zone while the Canadiens were trying to kill a penalty?
Mailloux wasn’t doing any of that stuff in this game because he seems to recognize now that the Canadiens already know he’s very talented. He appears to understand that his best chance to convince them he can play at this level is by letting the game come to him and receiving it with poise and composure.
The 21-year-old wasn’t perfect in that task, but he was effective.
• Wrote last week about Emil Heineman looking assertive and confident — he looked tentative at last year’s camp — and how the experience he’s gained has brought that out of him. He only reinforced that impression with a goal and an assist against the Flyers.
