Canadiens Fowler Makes A Big Change

On Saturday night, when Jacob Fowler took to the ice, some may have noticed something different about his appearance. The first time the Montreal Canadiens wore their Hometown Remix jersey, the goaltender wore predominantly red pads, and while the game against the Winnipeg Jets started very well, it ended with the latest comeback in NHL history when the Jets won 5-4 in overtime after trailing 4-0 with 2:40 left in regulation.

Gone were the predominantly red pads on Saturday night, instead, the netminder had white pads with a simple red line across them at an angle. Was the change purely cosmetic? Did Fowler, a former Boston College alum, feel his gear was too similar to a Boston University goaltender's? Or is he, like many goaltenders before him, a bit superstitious? We’ll find out soon, since the Habs will once again wear their new threads when they take on the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

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While red pads certainly have a cool, crisp look, they weren’t kind to Carey Price in the past, and visually, they make it easy to close the gap between the masked man’s legs. On Saturday, Fowler almost looked like he was trying to camouflage himself in the ice, wearing so much white gear. Did that make it harder on the Leafs? There’s no proof it did, but Fowler looked very confident in net, and the Canadiens got the result they wanted.

I certainly wouldn’t bet on the red pads being back on Thursday if Fowler is between the pipes in Boston, and I don't expect Jakub Dobes to wear his own bright red pads if he’s the man on duty. Given that Fowler played college hockey in Boston, though, I would be surprised if he weren’t on duty Thursday; but then again, Martin St-Louis used Fowler in St. Louis despite Dobes' ties to the city.

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