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Montreal Canadiens Drive for 25: Alex Galchenyuk The Great

By Mat Germain

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Apr 11, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) is congratulated by center Alex Galchenyuk (27) after their victory in the shootout against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Canadiens beat the Maple Leafs 4-3 in the shootout. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

THE 2014-15 SEASON

What we are now witnessing in Alex Galchenyuk’s career is a hockey player just finding out how Great he really is. His confidence still beaming, he knew what a training camp was like, he knew what he had to do over the summer, he understood the demands of the Montreal fans and media, and most importantly, he was comfortable heading into the season.

The result was his first full season, missing only 2 games, with career highs in goals (20) assists (26) points (46) and even PIM (39). The last one, penalty minutes, is important because it showed Alex’s willingness to implicate himself in tough situations and to get involved when he had to. He played more than he ever had before, 16:26 average per game, and truly became a top-6 forward, worthy of playing full time on the second line.

Apr 2, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Tomas Plekanec (14) skates during the warmup period before the game against the Washington Capitals at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Just for comparison’s sake, Tomas Plekanec broke in with the Montreal Canadiens in 2003-04 season. At that point, he was already older (21) than Galchenyuk is now, and it took him until he was 24 years old to total 47 points with the Habs. How great do you think Alex Galchenyuk will be by the time he is 24 years old?

Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk are like 2 peas in a pod for Montreal, growing up together in a franchise that has been rejuvenated by their youth, talent, and most of all their refusal to quit. Determination, tenacity, and a never back down attitude goes a long way in the NHL, and when you combine it with the skill and size of someone like Alex Galchenyuk, you’re in for something special.

Alex still has 2 years to prove he can bring his game up to total a point-a-game, something I completely believe he can achieve.

THE 2014-15 PLAYOFFS

We can definitely look for Alex to have a major impact throughout the playoffs. With his confidence beaming higher than ever and plenty of playing time to make things happen, he’s set to take off. It’s easy now to point to his overtime goal as an indication of just how effective he can be, but I want you to re-think about how that goal took place for a moment.

Apr 17, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk (27) screens Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond (30) during the third period in game two of the first round of the the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

When he got to the puck in front of the net, SURROUNDED BY 3 SENS, knowing he was facing the wrong way, had 2 guys rushing him and a goalie getting set to receive a shot, he also had a clear path to make a pass to the point – something a lot of players would have done. Instead, Alex Galchenyuk made the right decision. The aggressive, confident, and mature scorer decision. He spun himself on a dime, stepped into the best wrist shot he could manage and scored.

I can’t tell you how happy that made me. Not only the scoring part, the way it was scored. By taking a shot when you have the chance to do so. Too many times before I’ve seen him and other Habs go to the point and not take the shot. The forwards have to have faith in their shots, and this was a refreshing thing to see. Not only did Alex do this, but he also played a big game in other areas. He screened Andrew Hammond whenever he could, tried to deflect shots, took the body, and had quite a few scoring opportunities, taking shots form all angles in the process. Seeing all of those things through 2 periods is what made us declare the following (first part about the Flynn-Mitchell-Prust line):

Once Alex scored, I don’t think you could find a more excited lot as we declared:

The Montreal Canadiens are lucky to have Alex Galchenyuk, becoming the great player we know he can be. His nose for scoring is just coming into its own, and we’re going to benefit from it throughout these playoffs as Habs fans. Nobody can say how things will shake out overall, but we know he’s putting the work in, that his dad has instilled a drive in him, and that he’s got the intelligence and skills to put it all together. With this package, he could become the best scorer Montreal has had in quite a long time.

Alex Galchenyuk The Great has arrived folks, enjoy the ride!

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