Arber Xhekaj delivers a heartfelt mea culpa after his penalties in the last two games. https://t.co/P1Vqvg4tZF pic.twitter.com/YBPRKJoGBP
– Alexandre Pratt (@alexandrepratt) January 26, 2024
![Punishments: Arber Xhekaj went to see the coaches this morning to apologize](https://cdn.buminteractif.com/2024/01/Capture-decran-2224-800x437.jpg)
Last night was Arber Xhekaj’s second game since being recalled from the Laval Rocket.
But you know where I’m going with this.
After the duel, Martin St-Louis told reporters at the Bell Centre that he “didn’t love” his protégé’s decisions. The coach didn’t necessarily throw Xhekaj under the bus, but you could tell from his words and body language that he was (really) not happy.
St-Louis defended Gallagher more than Xhekaj, after all… Which says a lot.
I wanted to clear the air with the coaches. I know they were angry about my penalties and they were right. I disappointed my teammates too. I wanted to remind Martin that I care about this team. I felt I was hurting the team on Thursday night. – Arber Xhekaj
Martin St-Louis confided after practice this morning that he understands Xhekaj’s desire to be tough to bring energy to his teammates, but it’s just a matter of finding the right balance.
It’s a fine line… because the young man loves to use his body to upset the opposition.
Arber Xhekaj shouldn’t be misrepresented, because we know he can be useful to an NHL team when he makes the right decisions.
That said, at some point Xhekaj will have to learn to be more disciplined because he’ll never earn his coach’s trust otherwise. If Martin St-Louis knows that his player is going to get him into trouble when he’s on the ice, he’ll simply stop using him.
He likes him a lot because St-Louis helps him with his game. There’s really no hatred in Xhekaj’s comments, which can be found at the end of Anthony Martineau’s (TVA Sports) next video:
This morning, Arber Xhekaj went to apologize to the coaches for his penalties yesterday.
I just asked MSL how to handle a player like Sheriff without “denaturing” him.
Also, #72’s opinion on his relationship with his coach.
– Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) January 26, 2024
I’m curious to see what all this will lead to tomorrow, when the Canadiens will be in Pittsburgh to face Sidney Crosby and his gang.
And if the defenseman is in uniform… will Martin St-Louis be comfortable using him?
Breaking news
– It’s just as crazy.
Note that this game was presented on @TVASports in October.
Also: nearly 100,000 people watched (on average per minute) Patrick Roy’s press briefing on @RDSca and another 16,000 on @TVASports yesterday. #PatrickRoyVend
– Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) January 26, 2024
– Of note:
On the eve of the Montreal game at Place Bell:
– Tereza Vanisova missed training for treatment, but will be there tomorrow
– As of 8 a.m. Friday, over 7,000 tickets had been sold
– Catherine Dubois is back as a reserve player… for now!– Christine Roger (@ChristineRoger) January 26, 2024
– Nick Bonino was not claimed in the waivers.
Nick Bonino (NYR) clears waivers.
– Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) January 26, 2024
– A point for David Reinbacher today.
Reinbacher with his eight assist of the season. #habs
– Patrik Bexell (@Zeb_Habs) January 26, 2024
– Hehe.
Everyone with a longer winning streak than the current Edmonton Oilers:
– Mario Lemieux’s 1993 Penguins
– Sergei Bobrovsky’s 2017 Blue JacketsGet ready to add another accolade to 27yo McDavid’s resume. pic.twitter.com/n7sGRlcBuJ
– Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) January 26, 2024