They may be well out of a playoff spot but the Montreal Canadiens are playing their hearts out in the final stretch of the season.
Winning four of their last five games and picking up victories against juggernaut opponents like the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche has many Canadiens admirers excited for the future.
But not everyone is feeling the love in Habs land.
During his Friday media availability, head coach Martin St. Louis got a bit heated with a local reporter who deemed Montreal’s recent wins “easy.”
“For teams that are out of the playoffs, it’s easier to score goals and win games because there’s no pressure. That’s something we hear a lot…” the reporter said in French before asking how the recent string of victories should be assessed.
“Who’s saying that? You said you hear that, who’s saying it?” St. Louis asked, challenging the reporter’s assumption.
“We hear it from fans, analysts… What value should we give these wins? I’m asking you the question, Martin,” the reporter added, doubling down.
St. Louis was quick to defend his team, explaining that nothing comes easy in a league as competitive as the NHL.
“There are too many positives, and you don’t have many negatives, so you attach something negative,” the coach said. “That’s what it is. They’re all positive, the victories. There’s nothing easy.”
Insinuating that the reporter is part of the “negative society” surrounding the club, the Laval native revealed that questions of the sort are just noise to him.
“There’s not a victory in this league that’s easy. There’s not a goal that’s easy. For me, this is just noise,” the bench boss added. “I put on my headphones and move forward.”
Riding a record of 29-33-12, Montreal’s young core has quickly learned how hard it is to win consistently throughout an 82-game grind.
And even though their success has come too late in the campaign, they have arguably already set a tone and precedent for next season.
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