It’s hard to look to Saturday with the Montreal Canadiens playing tomorrow, but it will be meaningful with another former player making a return.
Not sure if you watch any other games besides Montreal Canadiens ones, but last night’s Pittsburgh Penguins one was an emotional one. It was Marc-Andre Fleury‘s first appearance at PPG Paints Arena since being claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights over the summer. The Penguins did a great job in honouring the 33-year-old with a heartwarming tribute detailing his best moments with the franchise.
Fleury couldn’t help but shed a tear as the fans gave the three-time Stanley Cup Champion a standing ovation. It’s moments like those that show how much of an impact a player can have on a city. You can tell that Fleury was more than a goaltender for Pittsburgh but a positive figure to look up to.
It was reminiscent of when P.K. Subban returned to the Bell Centre last year. Habs fans weren’t shy to voice their love and appreciation for all the things he did in his time in Montreal. Then it hit me, Nashville is in town on Saturday.
The Habs aren’t going to have another video tribute for Subban, but it won’t be surprising to hear him get some cheers from the fans. Well, there could actually still be one. Subban won’t be the only former Hab playing that night, Alexei Emelin will be returning to Montreal for the first time as well.
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Similar to Fleury, Emelin was also claimed in the expansion draft back in June. Although a lot of fans considered that a favour to the Habs. The 31-year-old’s $4.1 million cap-hit wasn’t ideal and Vegas selecting him freed up space to do some work in the offseason.
Regardless of your feelings towards the defenceman, he was a third-round draft pick by the Habs and played six seasons for the team. Saturday was probably a game Emelin had circled on his calendar all year. He may not have been too much of a fan favourite, but it’ll be a meaningful game for him for sure.
Morning Links
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