Last year, the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] handed out the man of the match sunglasses to the player who had the most impact on the game. Later in the season, it was reported that it was simply a pair of sunglasses they had found during their team retreat in Mont-Tremblant before the season. This year, the top performer actually gets to wear a wolf head hat. Some didn’t like it, but last weekend, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan revealed where it came from [https://montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/montreal-canadiens/stus-slapshots-wolfhead-had-a-prized-possession-for-canadiens]. It’s not just something they came across this time; Captain Nick Suzuki actually bought the item online. Why? Because coach Martin St-Louis often talks about having a pack mentality, wolves are a big theme around the room, according to the centerman. Canadiens: Mister Saturday Night Strike Again [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-mister-saturday-night-strike-again] Canadiens: The Dobsons Made The Most Montreal Baby Gender Reveal Ever [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-the-dobsons-made-the-most-montreal-baby-gender-reveal-ever] Suzuki Leads Canadiens in Productive Offensive Season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/suzuki-leads-canadiens-in-productive-offensive-season] Speaking of the coach, talking to the media this past weekend, he explained that what he missed the most about playing hockey wasn’t actually playing in front of buildings packed to the rafters, it was those few minutes in the dressing room after a game, when the players are amongst themselves, before the doors are open to the media. That wasn’t surprising, to be fair. When you see footage of the Canadiens’ players awarding the wolf head after a game, there’s something in St-Louis’ eyes that is quite telling. It’s halfway between pride and envy, and his declaration just explained why. Thanks to social media, we can all get a glimpse of the pack mentality St-Louis so often mentions, in the room when they crown the player of the game. Not that we don’t see it on the ice when someone is roughed up or at the end of the game with the “circle of friendship” celebration, this is a very tight-knit group, but it’s still an easy group to integrate for new players, according to Alexandre Texier. That’s important too, since the Canadiens are expecting more fresh faces in the coming years… -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I].
