Puttin' on the Foil

Contrary to what I have read in several places, Sheldon Souray was not tossed out of last night's game for an eye gouging, head butting or chucking elbows instead of fists in his tilt with Darren McCarty. No, Sheldon's a good Alberta boy and doesn't stoop to those devices.

His ejection for 'intent to injure' (isn't that the point of a fight?) was due to his wearing a wrist brace, which you can see from this photo I stole from the Calgary Sun. This is the same wrist that kept Souray out of the entire '02-03 season and has troubled him since.

He rarely drops the gloves these days - because of the wrist - and tries to fight right-handed when he does. However, McCarty tied up Souray's right and forced him to switch. Was it the foreign object that did the damage? Was it McCarty's own bucket? It could have been a plain 'ol bomb from Souray - Cory Sarich knows all about Shelly's left.

The ejection led to the Habs playing with five defenseman yet again. The blueline was already paper thin because of Markov's injury. For two periods, Calgary fans were treated to a rotation of Craig Rivet, Francois Bouillon, Mathieu Dandenault, Mike Komisarek and Mark Streit. The Big Three they ain't.

I don't know why the Habs don't dress seven defensemen. D-men are more likely than forwards to get injured, and their absence hurts the team more. With the make-up of the Habs, they are also more likely to sit in the penalty box for extended periods or get tossed for instigating. With a player like Mathieu Dandenault who can play the wing, and a fourth line that doesn't get much icetime, it should be considered.