A beefy press scrum in the morning. Greetings to former teammates. Boos when he touched the puck. A well-crafted video montage at the first commercial break. A warm ovation.
Posted at 12:10 a.m.
For a good part of the day on Monday, the return of Jeff Petry to Montreal happened like many returns of former Canadiens. But it does not always end in joy and gladness.
In fact, it ended in the penalty box, while Kirby Dach completed the comeback of CH to give the Montrealers a 3-2 victory in overtime.
It was Petry’s third penalty of the match, a penalty his coach probably didn’t appreciate.
“Obviously I have to play better. I can’t end up in the penalty box three times like this,” Petry told fellow member Josh Yohe, of The Athleticafter the game.
Mixed legacy
The public at the Bell Center had the opportunity to salute one of the Americans who have clung to Montreal the longest in the team’s long history. His 508 matches with CH represent the 4e total for an American.
It was during this stint that he established himself as a capable attacking defender, though not without weaknesses. Arrived in Montreal in 2015 with the profile of a defender of a second duo, he climbed the hierarchy somewhat by force of circumstance, when the health of Shea Weber became faltering.
His legacy is mixed. On the one hand, he reached the mark of 40 points in a season four times. Only six other defenders in Canadiens history have achieved such a feat; since the exchange of Chris Chelios (one of the six), Petry and Andrei Markov are the only members of this select club.
On the other hand, his -55 differential during his seven or so seasons here reminded us of his defensive shortcomings. This statistic has been compiled by the NHL since 1959, and Petry has the worst differential in Canadian history among defensemen. Only Jonathan Drouin (-58) shows a worse record, all positions combined.
“My stay here was beneficial, estimated Petry in front of the microphones Monday noon. If you look at my career trajectory, I became the player I am largely thanks to my time here. I think back to the teams we had, what we accomplished, it was pretty special. »
Presence in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021 is one of those “special” things that the Habs have accomplished during their stay in Quebec. He was then one of the pillars of the defense, playing 24 minutes per game.
Equally special was his descent into hell the following season. “When I arrived, he was going through some tough times,” admitted Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis. But he gave us good hockey. »
On the family side, however, it did not work. Among other things, issues related to the vaccination against COVID-19 prevented his in-laws from coming to visit him. Quite quickly after taking office, Kent Hughes made no secret that he would seek to accommodate the big number 26, which was done in July.
“It was a relief,” admits Petry. Last year, it was not easy. Getting a fresh start with a very talented team gives me new life. »
The editing that was reserved for him took up all these elements. Several goals, a few checks, even if toughness was not his cup of tea (talk to Samuel Montembeault and Zack Kassian), all of this interspersed with images of him with his children and his wife, Julie. Without forgetting the famous blood red eyes of the 2021 series. A beautiful start to an evening that ended badly.
The good news for Petry is that he will have the chance to redeem himself next month, since the Penguins will be back in town on November 12.