Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has made it clear at coaching camp that he desires his crew to play with extra “grit and sandpaper” this season.
They actually confirmed these issues throughout Tuesday night time’s 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators in Quebec Metropolis. It was a pre-season recreation that the Senators was a gong present.
Late within the third interval, the Senators’ Nick Cousins — the definition of a hockey rat — delivered a two-handed slash to the fitting wrist of Canadiens rookie sensation Ivan Demidov seconds after he had misplaced the puck. It was a premeditated and cruel act with an intent to injure. Demidov performed one shift on the facility play after the slash earlier than heading to the locker room. The Canadiens had no replace on Demidov’s situation after the sport and so they had the day without work Wednesday. The NHL’s division of participant security introduced on Wednesday that Cousins has been fined US$2,148.44 for the slash, the utmost allowable quantity allowed underneath the CBA. Cousins is incomes US$825,000 this season, so the tremendous is a joke.
This gong present began with three minutes left within the second interval after the Canadiens had taken a 3-0 lead on objectives by Oliver Kapanen, Patrik Laine and Alexandre Provider. At that time, the Senators’ Hayden Hodgson determined to run Alex Newhook from behind into the boards lengthy after he had gotten rid of the puck. Hodgson, 29, is 6-foot-2 and 221 kilos with solely 9 profession NHL video games, together with two with the Senators final season. In 43 video games final season with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, Hodgson had 5-6-11 totals and 156 penalty minutes.
Canadiens defenceman Provider, who’s 5-foot-11 and 174 kilos, confirmed grit, sandpaper — and braveness — when he instantly got here to Newhook’s defence and Hodgson then put a beating on him. It was bush league.
That’s when all hell broke unfastened.
Arber Xhekaj began speaking to gamers on the Senators’ bench after which grabbed Zack MacEwen and put a beating on him. Jayden Struble, who watched Hodgson beat up Provider and didn’t need to be the third man in a struggle, began chirping with Jan Jenik, then cross-checked him within the chin earlier than placing a beating on him. Struble landed a strong proper hand that left Jenik with a bloody face.
Xhekaj shortly drops MacEwen, Struble lands a HUGE punch on Jenik, who goes down onerous. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/kxGNXDcXyV
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 1, 2025
“They began with that hit,” Newhook informed reporters in Quebec after the sport. “It’s not a hockey play. It’s not a play that anybody desires to see in a pre-season recreation like that. It’s how guys get harm. I feel we answered properly and caught collectively rather well.
“It’s onerous to not say there’s no dangerous intent there whenever you take a look at the play,” Newhook added in regards to the hit from Hodgson. “It felt prefer it was three seconds late, again’s turned to the boards, you see numbers. The man’s speaking loads through the recreation, desirous to struggle somebody. I feel that’s sort of an inexpensive solution to present who you’re. That’s all I’ll say about it.”
Hodgson was fined US
$2,018.23 by the NHL’s Division of Participant Security on Wednesday for his hit on Newhook.
The gong present continued within the third interval after the Canadiens went forward 4-0 on a power-play objective by Hutson on the 4:27 mark. Simply over a minute later, the longtime rat Cousins delivered a two-handed slash to goalie Jakub Dobes’s pad after he had lined up the puck, however wasn’t penalized for it. Shortly after that, the Senators’ 6-foot-4, 227-pound Zack MacEwan tried to drive Jake Evans over the boards into the Canadiens’ bench. The Xhekaj tag-team brothers — Arber and Florian — shortly got here to the defence of Evans, who’s a 6-foot, 190-pounder.
Then with 12:34 left within the recreation, Cousins delivered his focused, two-handed slash that hit Demidov on his proper wrist, simply above his glove and under his elbow pad.
Ivan Demidov first dodged a boarding hit by Nick Cousins, then he was slashed on the arm/wrist with a grimy two handed axe chop.He regarded in seen ache afterwards. pic.twitter.com/PyZkv7mWrt
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 1, 2025
“There’s no want for that,” St. Louis informed reporters after the sport. “That’s an exhibition recreation, each groups are attempting to prepare for an extended season. I don’t suppose there’s any want for that within the recreation.”
There isn’t, nevertheless it’s not a shock Cousins would do it. And the NHL has now dominated the pre-season is mainly open season for rats attempting to injure gifted younger gamers if they’ve greater than $2,000 of their checking account.
This gong present wasn’t over but, although.
With simply over 5 minutes left within the recreation and after Dach had put the Canadiens up 5-0, Donovan Sebrango determined to sort out Dach and drop his proper glove and throw a few punches as Dach fell to the ice. The 6-foot-2, 221-pound Sebrango has performed two video games within the NHL and had 8-12-20 totals and 79 penalty minutes in 50 video games final season with Belleville.
Brendan Gallagher, who was named the sport’s first star after selecting up three assists, wasn’t stunned this one obtained ugly.
“You see what sort of lineup their coach needed to play — it’s what it’s,” Gallagher informed reporters in Quebec. “We have been conscious. I believed we did a fairly good job of sticking up for one another and simply taking part in hockey. It’s what we’re right here for. In the event that they need to do different issues, it’s tremendous. I believed we did job tonight.”
These groups will meet once more Saturday on the Bell Centre
(7 p.m., TSN2, RDS).
St. Louis favored the best way his crew had a pack mentality when it got here to defending teammates, however favored much more the best way they performed hockey as a pack.
“I feel we performed a extremely glorious recreation and we have been there for one another,” he stated.
The Canadiens received this one on the scoreboard and within the alley.
Hopefully they didn’t lose Demidov.
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