Must Watch: Arber Xhekaj and Michael Pezzetta drop the gloves during the Montreal Canadiens' practice to work on their fighting techniques
Upon his arrival with the Montreal Canadiens, Arber Xhekaj quickly established himself as one of the best fighters in the league, delivering solid KOs to the majority of his opponents.
However, many journalists mentioned during the off-season that they would like to see him involved in such situations less often to avoid the young defenseman suffering a severe injury during a fight.
Yet, the Canadiens' General Manager, Kent Hughes, was unable to bring in reinforcements in this department this summer, thus requiring Xhekaj to be the one to defend his teammates throughout the season.
Aside from Michael Pezzetta, who notably took private lessons with Georges Laraque this summer, the Habs have hardly any player who can take on this role in their ranks.
However, even if he's not the strongest or most skilled, the Canadiens' forward never backs down and will undoubtedly not hesitate to fight if one of his teammates is roughed up.
In fact, we witnessed a rather special scene during training yesterday morning when Arber Xhekaj and he came to blows. Don't be concerned; there's no bitterness between the two men, who were just practicing their fighting techniques.
It's very encouraging to see that Pezzetta takes his role very seriously and wants to continuously improve if he ever has to drop the gloves to defend a Canadiens player.
Let's just say that with all the tough guys present in the Atlantic Division, an opportunity should quickly arise for the Habs' #55.
Credit: Habs et LNH
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