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Pouliot Hurt? Fans Are Tired of Georges Laraque |
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Tell me you weren’t cringing as you watched Benoit Pouliot fight Wade Redden in the second period of the game between the Canadiens and Rangers on Sunday. Pouliot had his wrist taped, and was throwing punches with that hand, and now he’ll be a game-time decision when the Blues enter the fray on Wednesday. Also, the Canadiens are hoping Sergei Kostitsyn has made considerable progress in his recovery from a sprained ankle, so he can be reinserted to a lineup that desperately needs an offensive thrust.
Combine Montreal’s lack of firepower with the fact that Chris Mason was the NHL’s second star last week; posting 3 wins in 3 games, only allowing 2 goals on 68 total shots, and the task becomes a monumental one against one of the league’s best road teams.
But, there’s no time for excuses, and the Canadiens won’t be searching for any of them before undertaking another important game that will be crucial to win, in order to keep pace in the standings.
In putting out the question to my twitter following; what will the Canadiens do if they don’t have Benoit Pouliot ready to go on Wednesday, here are a couple of the responses I got:
1. KachowCelica9 @EricEngels: ... if Benoit Pouliot can't go tomorrow against Blues? ... FIRE JACQUES MARTIN FOR NOT SENDING LARAQUE ON THE ICE IN 3rd 2 minutes ago from txt
2. jizzbombjay @EricEngels i dont understand why we dress BGL, if our hot hands are going to pull his weight. 12 minutes ago from web in reply to EricEngels
I take it some people aren’t too happy with Georges Laraque. Understandably so, given his job is to fight, and he’s only done it 4 times this season (28 games played). I suppose it’s especially frustrating that he’s taking ice-time away from anyone as players like Josh Gorges and Benoit Pouliot are fighting and getting hurt. More frustrating is that when he seems to implicate himself and do his job, the Canadiens really benefit from his presence. As I regurgitate a stat I posted weeks ago, the Canadiens are 3-0-1 this season, when Georges drops his gloves. They’ve won all 4 games he’s scored a point in as a Montreal Canadien.
He complains about his ice-time.
He tells the world about how he hates fighting, and about how loyal he is to a code no one follows to the letter as closely as he does.
He’s told the press-- and by extension—the rest of the league that he won’t take an instigator penalty, so how can he reasonably serve as a deterrent to violence against his teammates?
He was signed on a 3-year deal at 4.5 million dollars. Currently in his second season with the club, he’s played 61 of 132 games and continues to suffer from a chronic back injury.
How much worse can this situation get? How does Bob Gainey evaluate Georges’ performance with the Canadiens? Why does Jacques Martin continue to dress him and claim he’s important to the team, if he doesn’t really use him and Georges won’t do what makes him important to the team?
All reasonable questions being asked here on a regular basis, yet Georges continues to collect…
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Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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