Montreal Beats Avalanche, McKinnon Steals Show

In a homecoming for the Canadian born players and coaches, the Avalanche began a 3 game, 4 day, far north tour of duty tonight starting in Montreal with the Canadiens.

We expected Matt Duchene to get the heroes welcome as well as Canadian born JS Giguere who got the call in goal.  We even expected the love and admiration that this team would bestow on the goalie who last captured the Stanley Cup for Montreal (1993), the team with the most of them all.  Patrick Roy has a storied career that began with Montreal. With so many years removed, the rift that caused him to go is all but healed. Today, Roy is nothing but beloved in Montreal...as he should be.

What was not expected tonight by anyone except those in Canada and from Canada, was the warm reception given to the NHL's front running Rookie of the Year, Nathan McKinnon.

These Canadians are serious about their hockey as the recent Olympic victories suggested.  After being dead in the water in the semi-final game against the USA, Canada women's team rallied late to push the game to OT and won it in the extra period.  The men's team followed that feat a few days later by winning the gold as well. Winning hockey in Canada is about as important as basketball is to the USA.  They simply expect to win.

Thanks to their blind passion for hockey, the Canadiens proceeded to piss off  Patrick (who was struggling at the time), forcing Roy to demand a release.  When the breakup was over, Avalanche had a Hall of Fame goalie and would gain two Stanley Cup victories with him in net.

Montreal was glad to see the return of Roy, but hardly ready to hand over a much needed victory.  The respectful applause for McKinnon appeared to inspire something special into his legs.  Everything they admired in McKinnon as expert hockey fans was on display in this game. McKinnon would eventually take #2 star of the game even though the Avalanche lost 6-3.

Losing teams are not awarded #1 stars as a matter of form, but McKinnon was clearly the best player on the ice.  Thomas Vanek of Montreal got the #1 star with an ugly hat trick that didn't even draw one hat from his home crowd, who remained mesmerized as McKinnon skated circles around their team.  Undoubtedly, Canadien fans walked from the arena happy with a win, but exuberant over the show McKinnon gave them as well.

There is admiration, and then there is admiration from fan's who really know what they are watching.  If you didn't realize what the rest of the league thought of Colorado's super rookie, you do now.  Canadiens tested....Canadiens approved.

POST SCRIPT: Avalanche forward John Mitchell lost his skates while rushing up ice, slid into the boards and bounced off so violently he went airborne from the ricochet.  Mitchell, who skated off on his own power, was transported to a local hospital for precautionary x-rays.  (No injury report was available at publishing).