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That Kassian, 26, was loathed in the Alberta capital before he was acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens for goalie Ben Scrivens on Dec. 28, 2015, would be putting it mildly.
Prior to joining the Canadiens, as a member of the Vancouver Canucks, Kassian's reckless stick in a preseason game broke the jaw of Oilers forward Sam Gagner.
"That's funny (now), isn't it?" Kassian said of his reception after being named First Star of the game. "If you'd have told me that a couple of years ago, I'd have bet every dollar that I had. ... But I expect nothing less than that from the fans here. They're so passionate."
It wasn't just one act that once cast Kassian in the villain's role, and probably around the NHL. His reputation with the Canadiens, Canucks and Buffalo Sabres, who chose him No. 13 in the 2009 NHL Draft, was that of a player who crossed the line frequently, was a volatile hothead and did not play with respect.
Those transgressions have been weeded out to the point where Kassian plays hard but now under control the vast majority of the time.
In addition to his goal, Kassian was a tenacious forechecker and penalty-killer, and he made thundering hits on Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon in the first period and center Logan Couture late in the second.
"You're going to cross it (the line) once in a while," Kassian said. "It's a feel-out process with the refs, and I'm trying to talk to them a little more, trying to see where their heads are at. I need to ride that line if I'm going to be successful and help my team."
There's more to Kassian's story than his previous undisciplined play. Before he was traded to the Oilers, he was treated for substance abuse and admitted Edmonton likely was his final opportunity to have a successful NHL career.
"I came here -- last chance," Kassian said. "I just wanted to earn the respect of my teammates. We have a great team in here and I'm just a small piece of the puzzle. We're jelling well. It's a fun team to play with.
"I came here with an open mind, that I would do whatever I had to do to help the team, most importantly."