Habs captain shares his Radu-love
Pacioretty’s pet peeve doesn’t diminish appreciation for Russian teammate
Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty absolutely loves playing on a line with Alexander Radulov. The captain just wishes the Russian would stop shoving his fingers down his throat during their goal celebrations.
“His whole thing now is he’s trying to put his glove in my face,” Pacioretty explained after scoring three goals in a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. “I don’t know why.
“It started in New Jersey (after Pacioretty scored a goal in a 3-1 win over the Devils on Jan. 20) where he did it and I had to get mouthwash on the bench because I think he put a couple of his fingers down my throat,” the captain added. “It’s disgusting! He said to me: ‘I just washed my glove.’ I said: ‘I don’t care.’ He knew how mad I was and he keeps doing it, so you guys can tell him to stop doing that. I’ll have to use mouthwash every game now.”
Pacioretty was smiling when he told the story.
The captain has a lot to smile about these days with his team sitting comfortably in first place in the Atlantic Division and, with 24 goals, he was tied for second in the NHL after Tuesday’s games, four behind Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby.
When it was mentioned to Pacioretty that he was tied for second, he said: “I don’t care at all.”
The captain added he is only interested in the team’s success — but the more goals Pacioretty scores, the better the Canadiens will be. He’s on pace for 39 goals, which would match his career high.
Pacioretty seems like a different guy this season, understandably much more relaxed than he was during last season’s team meltdown and his first campaign as captain. Coach Michel Therrien also notices a difference and said a big reason is the addition of Shea Weber in the locker-room.
“Regarding (Pacioretty’s) leadership role, I’ll say he’s better surrounded,” Therrien said. “It’s a learning process to become a captain and he learned a lot from last year and he’s well surrounded. So, as a leader, it takes a lot of pressure off his shoulders. I like the fact that his work ethic has been phenomenal since the beginning of the year and he’s getting results. It’s fun for a coach to see your players getting rewarded with the passion and dedication.”
Nobody has brought more passion to the Canadiens this season than Radulov, who has become a favourite with fans and teammates.
After Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin signed Radulov to a oneyear, US$5.75-million free-agent contract last summer, Pacioretty checked YouTube to watch some of his highlights. Pacioretty said one of the things that makes Radulov so special is his ability to make passes on his forehand or backhand while using an almost straight blade on his stick.
“He’s got two forehands, literally,” Pacioretty said. “His stick allows him to do that and he’s very, very dangerous on both sides of the stick. It’s a pleasure playing with him and it’s a lot of fun.
“He plays so differently from everybody that I think guys feed off that and guys learn a lot about themselves and learn how to play like that,” Pacioretty added. “There’s times where I’m like: ‘Why didn’t he pass me the puck?’ And then he makes an unbelievable pass to the guy who’s more open than I am. It’s not like he’s always looking for one guy. He’s always making the right play offensively.
“I watch all my shifts (on video) and I learn a lot from the way he plays and I like that he’s not so predictable . ... He’s just really, really creative offensively.”
Radulov is also, apparently, really creative when it comes to goal celebrations. The Russian looks even more happy after setting up a teammate for a goal than he does when he scores himself, flashing his big, beautiful hockey smile with the missing front teeth. Radulov assisted on two of Pacioretty’s three goals Tuesday and played a key role on the other one, giving him 12-27-39 totals in 49 games.
After the game, Pacioretty shared another funny story about Radulov when it comes to his false teeth, which he apparently somehow lost during a Christmas party at the captain’s house, resulting in a phone call the next day.
“I was cleaning up the next day and he was like: ‘Hey, I think I left my teeth at your house,’ ” Pacioretty recalled. “For two months, he didn’t have teeth anywhere he went. And then the other day, I saw him with teeth and I was like: ‘Oh, you found your teeth.’ He was like: ‘No, they made new ones.’ ”
It’s really hard not to love Radulov — unless his fingers are down your throat.