A Winning Habit
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Five Montreal Canadiens get some love in the 2019-20 NHLPA Player Poll

By Omar L|
MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 12: Tomas Tatar #90 of the Montreal Canadiens congratulates goaltender Carey Price #31 for setting a franchise record with 315 victories surpassing Jacques Plante against the Detroit Red Wings during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on March 12, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 12: Tomas Tatar #90 of the Montreal Canadiens congratulates goaltender Carey Price #31 for setting a franchise record with 315 victories surpassing Jacques Plante against the Detroit Red Wings during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on March 12, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

The NHLPA released the results for the annual Player Poll, and five Montreal Canadiens were recognized for their presence in the league.

It’s not often fans see the personality of an NHL player. At the same time, save for what they felt they did well in a game, we don’t know what they think too often. The NHLPA Player Poll gives a platform for fans to get an idea of that, and the Montreal Canadiens saw themselves in the top portions of the polls five times.

1. Best Ice

The Bell Centre won the right to be the best as 31.75% of players voted it having the best ice. It’s a pretty significant lead considering the next arena was the Edmonton Oilers’ Rogers Place at 16.75%.

Quality of ice is a significant factor in a game. Poor ice affects how players skate during the game, as well as how the puck moves along the surface. It’s tough to make a crisp pass if the arena has bad ice. California teams deal with this at times, and the New York Islanders were notorious for having bad ice after making the transition to Brooklyn.

Nice to know players recognize that when they’re on the road to play the Montreal Canadiens, the ice will be crisp.

2. Best Mascot

Ironically, two cousins in NHL lore were on either end of this category. Gritty, to no surprise, took to the top spot for the second season in a row at 69.72%. Habs mascot, and rumoured Gritty relative, Youppi! slid in at fifth with 2.29%.

Youppi! always brings a smile to your face, especially during times that aren’t

too fun.

3. Best Social Media

Max Domi cracked the top five in this category tied with Brad Marchand for fourth place at 4.37%.

Domi has used his platform to spread awareness on Diabetes Awareness but has also used Twitter to share his personality with the fans.

Whether it’s putting someone in their place:

pumping up a teammate:

https://twitter.com/max_domi/status/1218759295942131713

or dressing up:

https://twitter.com/max_domi/status/1189653151491805184

Domi has proved to be a worthwhile follow.

4. Best Nickname

It’s back-to-back victories for Tomas “Tuna” Tatar at 8.08%. His name is fun to saw on his own, especially after a big goal, but the ‘Tuna’ name has stuck for many years.

5. Best Goalie

Carey Price raises the mantle of being named the best goaltender ice again for the second year in a row. It wasn’t a subtle win either. Price had 41.55% of the vote, while the next goaltender, Andrei Vasilevskiy, had only 17.09%.

Despite not having the best season, it’s interesting to see that players still regard Price as the best. He’s had many great accolades over the years, and hopefully, he’s able to return to the mantle he set for himself back in 2014 one day.

Perhaps they’ll come a time where more Montreal Canadiens make their way into these polls. Price was the only Habs player to be recognized in the on-ice portion of the poll. If the talent within the organization grows, that may change in the future.

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