Yes, and clearly that message is heard loud and clear. Every NHL team now completely avoids any physical contact with Montreal players and clearly nobody will ever get hurt on the Habs because of it.
How anyone can say this with a straight face is hilarious. Oh yes, the Sheriff is a deterrent, just look how it’s stopped anything from happening so far.
Sure, it’s the preseason, penalties, fines and now a suspension in the regular season are meaningless. Oh wait… if he’s suspended, it’s a free for all on Habs players right?
Meanwhile he’s a #7/8 D, who will play half the games at best, on a lottery team, and will be demoted as soon as Montreal’s younger D prospects mature. He’s just not a good D man, and will be out of the league in a couple of years. If you think other teams look at him in the lineup and are worried about Montreal, you are sadly mistaken.
He’s no deterrent, as we’ve seen, the only message is it’s easy to get Montreal and their fans unhinged, and a borderline AHL D man is likely to face multiple long suspensions this season if this keeps up, and the franchise will get fined. Nobody has tears, they are laughing. You know who he hurts the most when he’s on the ice and acting up? The Habs
Imagine the identity of a team being an AHL level unhinged tough guy, and that’s the bravado of the team.