Max Pacioretty gets a lot of flack for being captain of the Montreal Canadiens, but he gave fans another reason of why he’s the best for the job.
The feelings around the Montreal Canadiens have gone from bad to worse lately. It started in the preseason where they were 0-6 at one point and struggled to score goals. Then the regular season started and they sit 1-3 and goal scoring has still been a struggle.
It’s gotten worse after the news about Mark Streit being shopped and then eventually waived. Marc Bergevin seemed pretty confident in the offseason that the 39-year-old could produce, and watching that experiment fail was a little frustrating. Unfortunately there are other players on the team that fans hope might be the next ones out (*cough* Ales Hemsky *cough*).
The peak of this negativity is definitely around Alex Galchenyuk, but what else is new. He didn’t benefit from the new line-up changes as he is now on the fourth line with Hemsky and Torrey Mitchell. Some fans have made comments like, “LOL you need goal scoring and you put Galchenyuk on the fourth line” or “Chucky hasn’t played well enough to be anywhere higher in the line-up”.
Related Story: Galchenyuk's Confidence
There’s a pretty defined line in the Montreal Canadiens fan base. Some are angry and others are accepting of it. Apparently the media thinks that Galchenyuk is unhappy.
Captain My Captain
I guess that’s a “fair” question to ask. It’s definitely not a good feeling to be playing that low on the team. What stood out however was what Max Pacioretty did. Media asked the team’s captain on whether Galchenyuk was unhappy or not. He immediately denied that and defended him which was great to see.
ICYMI Here's Pacioretty defending Galchenyuk #Habs pic.twitter.com/x9kz8yczTx
— Shayne Pasquino (@shaynepasquino) October 12, 2017
Sure leading a team on the ice is the most important thing when being the captain of an NHL team. However, its heart warming to see Pacioretty stand up for his teammate. That’s definitely what Galchenyuk needs right now. Supporting the other players and making sure the locker room is secure is a pretty underrated thing that captains do.
As bad as things have been so far you can get the sense that things are going to turn around. Perhaps this start was what they needed, and if an in-game spark is going to happen, it’ll definitely be Pacioretty who gets it going first.
Next: What Happens When Schlemko Returns?
What do you think of what Pacioretty did? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.