"My nerves before a gig got worse; I had terrible bad nerves all the time. Once we started… I was fine.John Bonham"
Who would have thunk that the drummer from Led Zeppelin and a hockey player from Denmark would be so much alike.
According to Lars Eller, the young player the Canadiens picked up in the trade for Halak, nerves are something that help and not hinder his play. Being the player that more or less replaces the most popular player in recent team history – Eller will be under as much scrutiny as Carey Price . Luckily for Eller, his mistakes won’t be as singular as Price ‘ s but that won’t mean the boo-birds will be silent if he doesn’t accomplish something in his first few games as a Hab.
“Of course I’ll be nervous,” admitted Eller. “But that’s a good thing. I play my best hockey when I get worked up. Not too much, mind you, but just enough.”
Look for Eller to be on a line with Scott Gomez and ‘ Captain’ Brian Gionta as coach Martin experiments with what could be a potentially awesome line. Martin will use different players to start the season on the Gomez – Gionta line and also the Cammalleri – Plekanec one. Eller, Pouliot, Kostistyn and Palushaj are the four candidates for the vacant two positions. If the competition drives each one to play at the peak of their game , Martin might have a third line made up of a goal scoring menage a trois.
“Like I’ve often said, when it comes to our top two lines, it’s all about pairs.” Says Martin. ” Whether it’s Gomez and Gionta or Cammalleri and Plekanec, the third player on those lines can always vary.”
P.K Subban, ‘ Snow White ‘ of the seven rookies expected to dress – will be looking for a prolongation of his play -off success from last season. The former Bulldog knows that you are only as good as your last game and if his play in both rookie and training camp is any indication, the blueliner will be pumped as the puck drops to the ice .
This is game two of the Habs pre-season and it will enable Martin to look at the rookies before he sends them packing to their respective junior clubs. Somewhere he has a list of five players mostly likely to be called up in case of injury or incompetence by one of his starters.
My list would contain Shultz, Desharnais, Fortier, Conboy and Palushaj. Palushaj should start in Hamilton only because Mathieu Darche was such a good soldier last year for the club and he is being awarded for service. Palushaj will eventually replace Darche in the line-up.
"Set up another case bartender! The best thing for a case of nerves is a case of Scotch.W. C. Fields"
Good thing Lars doesn’ t listen to Fields’ advice and too bad Bonham did.