Hockey

Florian Xhekaj: a worried mother, a lost medallion and a war wound
Mathis Therrien
Florian Xhekaj: a worried mother, a lost medallion and a war wound
Credit: Twitter screenshot

The Canadiens de Montréal finally got back on the winning track after five consecutive defeats with a 5-2 victory over their arch-rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, last night.

It's a win that will do Martin St-Louis' team a world of good, because not only was it a Saturday night game at the Bell Centre, but it was against a direct rival from the Atlantic Division.

So it was really good to see the Habs win and, above all, stop the hemorrhaging that was starting to seriously worry them.

It was an excellent hockey game last night against the Leafs, and in addition to the victory, Florian Xhekaj's brilliant performance in his first NHL game is of course particularly noteworthy.

This was Arber's little brother's first time skating in an official regular-season game, and let's just say he really managed to get noticed.

In 9:48 of ice time, Xhekaj served up three solid checks, got two shots on goal, blocked one shot, earned his first NHL point, and most importantly, won his first fight.

It was a tough fight that Florian Xhekaj won hands down, and one that clearly pleased the crowd a lot, especially with his celebration.

However, it clearly didn't please Mama Xhekaj, who looked very worried for her son, and somewhat discouraged, while Papa Xhekaj celebrated his son's fight on the sidelines.

Two completely different reactions, both testifying to the pride that occupies the Xhekaj parents to see their two sons playing together for their childhood team.

It's a fight to remember, and one that left its mark in many ways, as Florian Xhekaj demonstrated in a post-game interview.

The Habs' #63 showed off his war wound on his right hand, with which he handily won his fight against Dakota Mermis.

Afterwards, the 21-year-old explained that during his fight, he had lost the medallion he wore on his neck, and that he had gone to look for it around the Leafs' net after the game, but to no avail.

Florian Xhekaj really hopes to find it, as it' s a very important and significant medallion for the entire Xhekaj family.

“It's a medallion that is very, very dear to the Xhekaj family, as it represents the culture of the country of his father's birth.” – Renaud Lavoie

His father, Jack, had brought back two such medallions for his sons from his trip to Albania.

We sincerely hope that Xhekaj will find his medallion, and that he'll be able to wear it in his next NHL games, because clearly, after an audition like this, we'll be seeing #63 again very soon.

Florian Xhekaj really did everything he could do well for a first NHL game, except score, which may well earn him more games with the big club.

Everyone loved what we saw of him last night, and Habs fans have clearly embraced him for the future.

He's the kind of player the Habs really need in their lineup.


Overtime

– Read more.

– Will he be as good as his brother Aliaksei?

– Normal.

– Bad news.

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