When asked about how the Canadiens were performing on Wednesday, Montreal forward Mike Cammalleri said this: “We prepare for our games like losers. We play like losers. So it’s no wonder why we lose,”.
On Thursday night, the Canadiens traded him to Calgary.
Also going with Cammalleri is AHL goaltender Karri Ramo in exchange for forwards Rene Bourque and Patrick Holland, as well as a second round pick in 2013.
Cammalleri played the first two periods of Thursday night’s Montreal game in Boston. During the second intermission, Habs GM Pierre Gauthier sent him back to the hotel, awaiting the trade.
After the game, Gauthier said the trade was not because of Cammalleri’s comments, but rather the need to score more goals:
“One of the reasons that it would improve the club is that we need to score harder goals, we need to score the goals that are not the fancy ones and are not the outside shots. The outside shots don’t go in anymore. It’s the second chances, the third chances, the rebounds, the screen shots, the tip ins and the stats show it very clearly, That’s why Mr. Bourque is a very attractive player to us because he scores most of his goals from those areas,” he added.
Bourque is currently serving a five game suspension for an elbow on Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom.
This will be Cammalleri’s second stint in Calgary. He played for the Flames for the 2008-09 season, one in which he scored career highs with 39 goals and 82 points. He’s struggled this season with only nine goals and 22 points.
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