Make it five straight losses for the Montreal Canadiens as this horrific season continues without relief. The Edmonton Oilers feasted on the Canadiens at an empty Bell Centre. Evander Kane made his Edmonton debut scoring the first goal in a 7-2 thrashing.
Wilde Horses
Carey Price was in full gear on the ice this morning. In the evening, he was all decked out in a cowboy hat, dressed in black to watch the game in a luxury box. It’s wonderful to see him back practicing and also back smiling with his mates.
Let’s get this clear though: there is absolutely no reason for Price to play for the Canadiens this season except to prove to another team that he can play for them in the playoffs.
Here’s the scenario because it’s complicated. If Price wants to remain in Montreal, then his body is officially on the clock, and that body doesn’t have a lot of time left. Every game that he plays needs to be a game of worth. If the Canadiens don’t plan to trade him, and will rebuild with him, then he needs to sit out until next season.
Any injury, or wearing down of a body that everyone admits is aging, doesn’t need to happen when the team is tanking for a high draft pick. The last thing that Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes need is a .930 goalie to cause them to draft ninth. This top three pick is on course and it has been hiccup-free. The goalies have been .760 in the last three games for Montreal. That’s the ticket to a top draft pick every single time.
However, if Price does want to finish his career with a chance for the Stanley Cup, then he needs to play about five games for Montreal to show the league that he is fine and ready to go. It should be obvious that Price can still play goal. He didn’t forget how to save the puck since July’s cup final. To suggest healing from an injury or spending time in the league’s player assistance program took away his talent makes no sense. This wasn’t a Jack Eichel surgery. He’s fine.
However, he will need to still prove it to the general managers around the league. Playing games before the trading deadline makes sense, if he has okayed a trade to a playoff bound team. If he hasn’t okayed a deal, then let’s hope that he begins fresh when the games matter, again next season.
Either way, it was great to see him on Saturday in in the red, white and blue of Montreal, and the black of Johnny Cash.
Wilde Goats
With nothing to play for this season anymore it is difficult for the Canadiens veterans to get up for a game. They were in the Stanley Cup Final only six months ago. For them to head to the rink knowing they have no chance at all, must be difficult.
So when they do put in some terrific efforts, as they have been recently, it’s easy to be impressed. On the other hand, when a complete no-show comes as soon as the first period on Saturday, it’s difficult to be forgiving. This game was over so fast there was no element of competition at all.
It was the Harlem Globetrotters against the Washington Generals, in essence, from a drama point of view. There was no drama at all. No sense that the Oilers could be beaten as soon as 3-0 halfway through the first period.
In a game like this one, it’s just so apparent that the Habs’ defence is constructed only to defend. Be a stay at home defender and you’re guaranteed to stay at home. Nothing comes from the back-end at all from an offensive point of view, so all you notice are defensive blunders because they are defending all the time.
It’s all been said before and to detail it over and over would also feel like watching a season full of Globetrotters games. We’ve seen this script. We’ve told this story. We won’t belabour it in all the gory details again.
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Paul Byron will make his debut the Columbus Blue Jackets Sunday night. Byron missed a half-season after getting hip surgery in the summer. Byron is a perfect example of the courage these players have in terms of handling pain for the cause.
Byron poured out his heart this morning about what he has dealt with for years, when he met with the media for the first time. Byron says that he has had excruciating hip pain for years. The pain would be so bad that he could not even take off his equipment after games. He could not do activities that most people take for granted — like climbing stairs.
He took painkillers to just make it through the day, but would wake up in pain and could not sleep when the painkillers wore off, until he could take the next one.
When the pain was hurting his on-ice performance, Byron decided to try a cortisone injection. Injections often bring down the pain in an impressive way, but they don’t stay so effective for very long. Byron took his injection prior to the playoffs last season. He realized quickly that he could live pain-free. Problem is, you can’t just line up for injections over and over again. Cortisone is a temporary solution.
Byron was pain-free when he counted one of the biggest goals in the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was on a breakaway to roof the winner to start the series in Toronto. What a moment that must have been for Byron to be without pain for the first time in ages and see what he could do on the ice, scoring such a vital goal.
Sadly, the cortisone wore off. By game five Byron was feeling the pain again. He said that he would gut it out. Perhaps it was going to be the last game of the season. The Canadiens went on to win the series and Byron faced down his pain in every contest, helping Montreal go on an improbable run to the finals.
Those few moments of living pain-free told him that he had to find a long-term solution and he did with the surgery. Now the next chapter begins as Byron hopes this surgery works well and he can show that signature fastest-skater-in-the-league speed again.
It’s easy to lose track that when these players are struggling. Their game may be suffering because they are suffering.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.
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