Out With The Sunglasses, In With The Wolf Pelt
Last year, when a player was named player of the game by his Montreal Canadiens teammates, he got to wear the team’s man-of-the-match sunglasses. It was a fitting choice for a group of young guys who were trying to have fun in the midst of a rebuild, focusing on development and getting better together.
On Saturday, after the overtime win over the Ottawa Senators, Alex Newhook was named the player of the game after scoring the overtime winner. He didn’t get to wear last year’s sunglasses, though; he was presented with a wolf pelt, which he proudly put on his head. While some may not approve of that choice (granted, a wolf was killed to make the accessory), it’s quite a significant choice as well. This season is no longer about developing; it’s about playing as a team and being stronger together. Martin St-Louis keeps telling his men to play defense as a five-man unit and to adopt a pack mentality. He wants his team to stand up for one another, and they’re doing just that.
One could even say the pelt makes sense because these young Canadiens are hungry like the wolf, as Duran Duran sang in 1982, with, admittedly, a very different meaning, but still, this squad jumps on the ice every night looking for the win — and, figuratively speaking, for blood. It’s no longer about developing and learning; it’s about winning. This young team has a new identity and they’re not afraid to show it.