It was the start of a new era in Montreal on Saturday night, one of which Brendan Gallagher was no longer part but an old enemy, Chris Kreider was.
When the Montreal Canadiens took on the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre on Saturday night, it felt like a new beginning of sorts for the Habs, and it showed in their arena. With Brendan Gallagher traded to the Vancouver Canucks in the offseason, the image of the young warrior holding the torch high on an opening night years ago had disappeared from the Salon Jacques Beauchamp, replaced by a giant photo of captain Nick Suzuki fielding questions from the media.
When the Habs were about to get on the ice for warm-ups, Jakub Dobes waited for someone to tap him to signal it was go time, something Gallagher always did in the past. Cole Caufield appeared behind him and spoke to Lane Hutson, visibly telling him to tap the goalie, which the young defenseman eventually did. Still, it was the softest of touches, not the usual stick tap the veteran used to give.
But the biggest change came minutes before the opening faceoff. As Michel Lacroix was introducing the starting lineup to huge cheers for Suzuki and Caufield, when the announcer said “number 22, Chris Kreider!” the crowd didn’t boo. Even though they had been doing that for 12 years, ever since the Kreider-Carey Price incident, the boos were replaced by cheers- granted, not as loud as those his linemate received, but it sounded like an invitation to Kreider to win them over. Now that he’s wearing red, white, and blue, the fans know that he’s one of theirs, and they need to support him.
As for the players, they’ve all been very welcoming to the newcomer, and they’ve all said that he’s a great guy, a great veteran who gives good advice, but Suzuki, Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky took it a step further after the 4-3 overtime win. With Kirby Dach playing in Toronto, they elected to have the power forward join their patented “Circle of Friendship” celebration. Kreider visibly had no idea what it was about or what he had to do, but that’s part of the little things he has to learn now that he’s wearing the Sainte-Flanelle.
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