Pacioretty: A Montrealer through and through

MONTREAL - It's no secret that there's a certain extra pressure that comes with playing for the Canadiens.

For those who guard the fabled Habs crease or sport the storied 'C' on their sweater, that pressure tends to get amplified exponentially.
So when you're captain of the Canadiens and both you and your team have struggled on the scoresheet and in the standings, respectively, some might think you'd want a change of scenery or a break from the heat.
Not if you're Max Pacioretty.
On April 9, he got up in front of the media and professed his love for the city he's called home since 2008-09 in no uncertain terms.
"I love it here. I'll probably always live in the city one way or another. I love everything about this city and I love playing hockey here, and my family loves it here. We're just so comfortable with the way people live their lives here," praised Pacioretty, who scored his 10th career overtime winner on November 11 against Buffalo, setting a new regular-season franchise record in the process. "It definitely took me some getting used to at first. I wouldn't want to say it was culture shock, but this is a special place where it's more of a European lifestyle. I didn't understand that when I first came here, being younger, being from the [United] States and being from crazy cities like Manhattan and bigger cities. But I've fallen in love with this city - me, my family, my kids, my wife. Whether I'm playing here or not, I'm always going to most likely call Montreal home."

The questions were understandable. The suggestions from some were that fans were laying the blame for the Canadiens' misfortunes in the win-loss department at the feet of the captain, and were using his reduced offensive output this season - 37 points (17G, 20A) in 64 games, his lowest points total since 2010-11 - as evidence.
But the way Pacioretty sees it, his relationship with the fans in Montreal is as strong as ever - and he has no problem facing the music when times are tough.
"I'm in the city every day, and if it wasn't positive, I wouldn't be in the city every day. I get so much support from the fans. They all tell me they love me. I've never had one negative encounter… I know that it was a very tough year for the team and for myself, and I take full responsibility for that," said Pacioretty, who, along with Alexander Ovechkin, is the only other player to reach the 30-goal plateau at least five times since 2011-12. "I'll never make an excuse for myself or try and make myself look better.
"This is what we do. If you told me when I was 10 years old that I'm going to be the captain of the Montreal Canadiens, I don't think I would tell you, 'Yeah, but I don't want to talk to reporters after we lose games'. This is part of the job; I love it," added Pacioretty, the Canadiens' first-round pick (22nd overall) in 2007. "I've always said I don't care about the heat, or the speaking, or the emotions. I can take all that."

The Habs' leading scorer this season, Brendan Gallagher, acknowledged that 2017-18 didn't go the way it should have for Pacioretty, but he isn't the least bit concerned with his ability to bounce back and learn from what he went through.
"It wasn't an easy year for him, obviously. He'll be the first to tell you that," admitted Gallagher, a teammate of Pacioretty's since he cracked the lineup in 2012-13. "When you go through tough times, you learn a lot about yourself and you learn a lot about your character. With Max, I'm sure he's going to be just fine."
To make matters worse, the 29-year-old left-winger was forced to leave the March 2 game against the Islanders and did not return with what he would later reveal was a sprained MCL. The injury may have happened after the trade deadline, but rumors about his future persisted - and Pacioretty admitted that all the talk took its toll.
"Everyone wants to say that they're superheroes, and they don't let any of that creep into their minds, but we're all human. I was more frustrated with my game, that it got to the point where those rumors were surrounding me. I've said it so many times before, I love playing in Montreal, and I take a lot of pride in playing here," stated Pacioretty, adding that he was cleared to pursue his offseason training program without any restrictions. "I've had a lot of success in Montreal, and I'm very proud of that."

With that pride in tow, Pacioretty plans on reflecting on what went wrong as he spends the summer getting ready for a better season to come.
"I think if everyone looks at themselves in the mirror, and honestly judges their performance and is honest with themselves, then that's the only way you get better from it," he concluded. "If everybody gets that same mindset, that's how you move forward."