The Canadian was in Columbus last night to face the Blue Jackets and try to extend his three-game winning streak.
It was also a return home for the star striker Patrik Lainehe who played his first game in Columbus since he requested a transaction from the team's management last summer to ultimately end up in Montreal.
Before the meeting, Laine opened up for the first time about the circumstances that led to his departure. In an interview, he shed light on his reasons for wanting to leave the organization a few months ago.
When I signed a contract there, it was clear that it was because I loved the city and the organization and I didn't want to leave. Then a lot of things happened and that was enough for me.
I felt like we were doing the same thing year after year. I was tired of losing and giving up on the season every December and already starting to think about the following year. It was a frustrating situation as a player. I wanted to win.
They are a little too content and comfortable in their current position and it was no longer a good fit for me. Here in Montreal, it doesn't matter if we win or lose, we always give our best, which is something I no longer felt in Columbus.
I'm having the best time of my life in Montreal right now.
– Patrik Laine
Obviously, his crude and unfiltered comments really did not please his former teammates who made him a target from the start of the meeting, hitting him solidly every time they had the opportunity.
Result: He had to leave the match and never returned afterward.
Clearly, Laine's comments did not go through in the Columbus locker room and we wanted to send him a message during the match. We bet that the opposing players were disappointed to see him leave so early in the game since they wouldn't have bothered hitting him the entire match.
According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sportsa member of the Canadiens organization probably intervened with Laine after the first intermission to tell him that he would not return to the game.
Yes, the checks by the Blue Jackets players were legal, but did you notice what they were aiming for? They were targeting his shoulder, which had to be operated on last year.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone on the Canadiens decided enough was enough and they wouldn't return to the game.
-Renaud Lavoie
Seeing the turn of events, it would not be surprising if the Canadiens management decided to keep Laine in the locker room as a preventative measure, in order to protect him.
At the time of writing these lines, we do not know the state of health of the CH star striker.
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