Crank up the burners when Habs and Sens play

You’ve got to love Sportsnet – the cable service gets it.

During its full two minute and 28 second recap of the Senators-Habs game from Tuesday night in Quebec City, not one goal was displayed. Montreal steamrolled Ottawa 5-0, but that was more or less inconsequential.

What mattered?

How about the 150 minutes in penalties.

It was old-time hockey, like it or not.

And that carries us to today’s message – as heated as some contend the Ottawa-Toronto rivalry is (. . . it isn’t, frankly), the Ottawa-Montreal rivalry trumps it by, oh I don’t know, about 100 leagues.

Simmer turned to hard boil in a hurry Tuesday as 10 major penalties were handed out. Five skaters were ejected by the end of the game.

Not to make too much out of a pre-season tilt (oh, but we will of course), but here are a few takeaways from a bubbling Sens-Habs tug-of-war that would seem to now compare to Red Sox-Yankees or Cubs and Cards.

HABS NO LONGER PUSHOVERS:

You have that one right.

It was becoming a time-honoured tradition to state that Les Canadiens were smallish, quick and timid. It was accurate for years. Not any more.

The insertion of 6-foot-4, 240-pound Arber Xhekaj, his brother Florian (although could be targeted for the AHL), Josh Anderson (a few years ago), Jayden Struble and Zach Bolduc make this group ripe with sandpaper and size.

It was more than 10 years back when the Habs captured the sticky label as soft. Those of you in Ottawa have to remember that playoff set-to where the Senators bullied their way past Montreal under head coach Paul Maclean?

That one featured a full-on line brawl where the Habs came away looking, well, a bit limp.

While that reputation has remained since, you can pretty well toss it out the window at this juncture.

Xhekaj (Arber) can lay claim to being one of the top three heavyweights in the NHL. He absolutely destroyed Ottawa’s ‘answer’ Zack MacEwen in one scrap while Struble bloodied Jan Jenik in another. (Xhekaj has also improved his game to the point where he’ll be in the lineup more times than out of it).

Which brings us to another point . . .

TKACHUK HAS TO DO IT ALONE AGAIN:

Looks that way.

As much as everyone admires the fine work General Manager Steve Staios has done with the team – tinkering here and there with positive effect – he and his predecessor Pierre Dorion have failed to lift the standing up for your teammate responsibilities off of the shoulders of Brady Tkachuk.

Look, we understand all too well that fighting has dropped off considerably in the last decade, but it remains a component in hockey. If one thinks that intimidation does not play a role in the NHL, one is not thinking well.

Maybe Staios adjusts this. He should.

MacEwen is not an effective enforcer. So too was his forerunner, Auston Watson. They might be ‘good in the room,’ but they’re not too good with the gloves off.

In essence, it appears inevitable that – again – the fear factor rests with Tkachuk.

This explains Ottawa’s reported interest in now-Bruin Tanner Jeannot who signed with the B’s this summer as a free agent.

But more importantly to the hockey world in both regions . . .

HATE IN HOCKEY IS A GOOD THING:

Coined by my old friend Dean Brown, this one’s a bumper sticker.

As gripping and over-sold as the Ridly Greig-Morgan Rielly slap-shot-into-the-empty-net incident tends to be, there really is not much sass in the Ottawa and Toronto relationship.

But the Senators and Habs?

Bring it.

It’s a damn shame the clubs lock horns only four times in the upcoming season (mark down Nov.1, Dec. 2, Jan. 17 and March 11). Should be eight, at the very least.

And here’s another nugget to chew on: If there really is to be a changing of the guard in the Atlantic Division (some have picked Ottawa to finish first. We’ll see on that) and both of these up-and-comers make the postseason dance, imagine what a delight a first or second-round matchup would be.

Hockey with a helping of spite and vitriol? Montreal and Ottawa have it in spades.

thegrossgame@yahoo.com

Photo: CourtesyMontrealHockeyNow