Canadiens and Senators Add Sparks To Rivalry

Friday and Saturday nights featured back-to-back, pre-season action between two Canadian, Northeast Division teams who could hardly be considered rivals up until a little over a year ago. Montreal and Ottawa rarely ever came to blows before that, and technically never even faced each other in the Playoffs until 2013. Ever since then, it seems the two teams have developed an intense bitterness towards each other. After Friday night’s shenanigans, I think it’s safe to call this a legitimate rivalry.

Granted, this is only the pre-season. We shouldn’t read too much into what happens in exhibition games. Veteran NHLers who aren’t worried about their roster spots tend to take it easy, play safe, try not to get hurt before the important games are played. Not likely any of those guys would dare drop the gloves either, right? With 9:17 left to play in the third period on Friday, with the score tied 3-3, all Hell broke loose.

The newly appointed alternate captains – and arguably the team’s two best players – P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty – engaged in a brawl in the Senators’ zone. You would expect this type of thing from the Ottawa players involved – Mark Borowiecki is trying to earn a roster spot and Chris Neil, well, that’s just what Neil does. They can afford to sit in the box for four or five minutes with the game on the line. But Max and P.K. know the team needs them to be on the ice, shooting pucks rather than swinging fists. Something primal must have taken over for them to ignore that and get involved in a melee. Something like the memory of being pushed around by this same team and physically dominated through a five-game playoff series. Apparently, the Habs have not forgotten the drubbing that the Sens gave them in all but one of the five games they played two Springs ago. They have not forgotten the embarrassing 6-1 loss that ended that series. And I suppose that they also haven’t forgotten this:

Interesting to note that Lars Eller was not included in the roster for either of the past weekend’s games. Maybe Therrien wanted to avoid fanning the flames of war in the pre-season. After what went down on Friday, Therrien may have thought Eller should remain off the ice again. While there was less post-whistle roughhousing on Saturday night, it was still a very intense, physical match for an exhibition game. Brandon Prust sought revenge on Borowiecki, either for his continuous cross-checking (to the face) or for his antics the night before. The two dropped the gloves near the end of the first period and fought to what could be called a draw, though Prust was at a serious disadvantage in size and reach. That put the count at two official fights in two back-to-back games which don’t count for anything but pride. I would only expect that kind of animosity to occur between … well, the Habs and Bruins – the most historically intense rivalry in the NHL.

Oct 4, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki (74) and Montreal Canadiens right wing Brandon Prust (8) fight during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

While I pondered the images of Subban and Pacioretty sitting in the box on Friday, shiny new “A”s visible on their jerseys, I thought they either have a lot to learn if they want to be potential captains, or they are exemplifying leadership by taking their team to war against a known enemy. Those memories of the 2013 playoffs are fresh in the minds of this team’s young leaders. Every game played against the Senators last season was peppered with similar scraps and bad blood. It seems apparent that this generation has selected a new rival for itself. The Boston-Montreal rivalry has always been heated and probably always will be. However, along the way, different editions of the Canadiens have had other bitter rivalries: in the 80’s it was the Nordiques, culminating in the 1984 “Good Friday Brawl”; some time ago in ancient history, it was the Maple Leafs; there were also stints with the Flyers; and even the Flames.

The 2014-15 edition of the Canadiens has its own mark to make on the NHL and its own path to take. While fans and players on both sides of the fence will no doubt anticipate this season’s Canadiens-Bruins matchups, I think we can expect to see the continuing development of a budding Canadiens-Senators rivalry over the course of this season.

The two teams will face each other again on these dates:

Saturday, 20 December, 2014 in Montreal 7:00 PM

Thursday, 15 January, 2015 in Ottawa 7:30 PM

Wednesday, 18 February, 2015 in Ottawa 7:00 PM

Thursday, 12 March, 2015 in Montreal 7:30 PM

Click here for the official Canadiens schedule with TV network coverage.