Former Habs head coach extremely critical of Michael Pezzetta's celebration
The Montreal Canadiens played spoiler on Monday night, downing the Buffalo Sabres in a shootout, hurting their chances in the Eastern Conference wild card race.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis deployed a handful of players in the shootout that typically might not have gotten a shot if the team was in the playoff picture as Mike Matheson, Johnathan Kovacevic and Michael Pezzetta all shot.
Pezzetta was up with the game on the line and he ripped a shot over the blocker of Sabres goaltender Eric Comrie, giving the Canadiens a 4-3 win. After his goal, Pezzetta had a celebration for the ages. He put his stick between his legs and imitated the celebration by former NHLer Tiger Williams.
The following day brought a mix of praise and criticism from those in the Montreal media, but it was former Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien who stood out among the others. Therrien called out Pezzetta, of sorts, saying he was humiliating the Buffalo Sabres and their fans by doing the Tiger Williams celebration.
Note: the following quote is translated from French by DeepL.
"You should never humiliate the opponent. This is a kind of humiliation. He should have celebrated his goal in a different way. When I was a coach, I often told the players that you have to be humble in victory. For me, the team concept is important." Therrien said.
He added, "I didn't want to put my players in a position where there would be repercussions. A player like Nicolas Deslauriers may not have liked it. Maybe other players will have to answer for Pezzetta's action. Respect for your teammates is also important."
He added, "I didn't want to put my players in a position where there would be repercussions. A player like Nicolas Deslauriers may not have liked it. Maybe other players will have to answer for Pezzetta's action. Respect for your teammates is also important."
With the way Montreal's season has gone, it was nice to see a moment like Monday's shootout win and the players' reactions to Pezzetta's celebration. It's important to remember that while the NHL is a business, these players need to enjoy themselves, especially during a tough season
Source: TVA Sports
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