Patrik Laine, the newcomer to the Montreal Canadiens, wanted to start a new chapter in his career and in his personal life by coming to settle in a city where hockey is a religion.
But now he finds himself the victim of a relentless smear campaign, orchestrated by certain media and personalities who seem to have made him their favorite scapegoat.
After Danick Martineau’s gratuitous and offensive attacks on his physical appearance, it is now Alain Crête’s turn to add fuel to the fire. And this, with comments which, to put it bluntly, make no sense.
In his recent public outing, Crête bluntly states that Patrik Laine has no long-term future with the Canadian.
He even goes so far as to say that his presence on the team is a “temporary measure”.
Listening to his disjointed comments, one might believe that Laine is a mercenary parachuted into the lineup by chance, with no value or use for the team.
“I’ll tell you honestly, I don’t think there is a very long-term future with the Canadian, not all year round. I think it’s a temporary measure.”he said, as if he held the keys to Laine’s destiny.
Basically, he insinuates that the hype around Laine this summer was just a flash in the pan, while his arrival on the team was seen as a miracle solution for the Canadian’s power play.
Remember that Patrik Laine has been in Montreal for barely a week.
A week. Seven days. How can you judge a player, especially an elite scorer like Laine, over such a short period of time?
Crête seems to forget that Laine, despite his ups and downs in Columbus, still has the potential to be a 40 or 50 goal scorer, as he has already demonstrated in the past.
But instead of giving him time to adapt, find his place and build chemistry with his new teammates, he is already being labeled a failure.
A typical attitude of certain Montreal media who, instead of supporting a player in his beginnings, prefer to demolish.
Fortunately, not everyone is so ruthless.
The fans seem to understand that Laine needs time to acclimatize. The Bell Center explosion during his first goal against the Islanders is a reminder that Montreal is a city where talented players can become legends.
But for this they need support, not free criticism.
Patrik Laine is a player who chose to come to Montreal, a demanding city, to relaunch his career.
He deserves fair and respectful treatment, not a barrage of negative comments after just a few days.
The Montreal media, often accused of being “merciless”, would benefit from remembering that they have a role to play in the development and confidence of players.
It’s time to let Laine breathe and give him the space he needs to prove he can be a key part of this team.
As for Alain Crête and Danick Martineau, perhaps they should take a moment to think about the impact of their words before continuing to fuel a smear campaign that is as unjustified as it is destructive.
Patrik Laine deserves better. Montreal deserves better.
