Montreal Canadiens center Alex Galchenyuk (27) celebrates with teammates after scoring the winning goal during the first overtime period of Game 2 NHL first round playoff hockey action against the Ottawa Senators Friday, April 17, 2015 in Montreal.Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
When you work in an organization that has a long history and takes it seriously, there are standards to uphold.
With the Montreal Canadiens the bar was set by the commanding presence of the late Jean Béliveau, whose words and visage feature prominently in this year's playoff pre-game ceremony at the Bell Centre.
"I get choked when I see him on the videos, that's where the pride comes from," said P.K. Subban, the team's polarizing star defenceman.
It's behind him now, so Subban can admit he fell short of what's expected of an aspiring Habs great in game one of his club's playoff series against the Ottawa Senators.
That would be the evening he hacked at opposing winger Mark Stone's wrist like it was a meddlesome tree root.
"Part of my disappointment in last game, I know it's an emotional game and I didn't think it was that hard of a slash, but to be able to go through that whole thing, it's not something Mr. Beliveau would do," he said after the Habs' 3-2 overtime win over Ottawa on Friday. "That's the standard for everybody in the organization, it's to pattern themselves on and off the ice like he would. I wasn't old enough to watch his career, but just to see the type of person he was, the kind of gentleman he was, he respected all of his peers on and off the ice, and I try to do that."
Subban was immense in Friday's game two, leading all skaters with 29:06 of ice time (a little more than 10 per cent of it on the penalty kill) and scoring a pivotal goal that gave Montreal a second-period lead.
In fact, he would be on the ice for each of his team's goals – including Alex Galchenyuk's overtime winner on a spinaround shot – as well as Ottawa's first, although Clarke MacArthur's laser of a wrist shot had little to do with him.
After his first star performance – he greeted the crowd in French, which led not so much to cheers as it did paroxysms – he said he had a little extra motivation.
Following his second-period ejection for slashing Stone, he encountered Béliveau's widow Élise under the stands near the Montreal dressing room.
"I was standing down here in my suit and she came by, she said 'you'll be better next game'. It's funny, before the game I was worked up and I got even more worked up when I saw her sitting behind the glass and she shows me she's wearing my jersey. It's one of the cutest things I've ever seen," he said. "It's good to know that I have that support, you know what Jean Beliveau means to this organization . . . to have his beautiful wife support me like that, it's a great deal of confidence."
Subban is often criticized for being a me-first player, but he has become adept at reflecting attention onto his teammates.
He praised several of them, but singled out his partner, Andrei Markov.
The Russian, whose expression varies from stony to impassive, kissed his younger teammate on the visor.
"I think I got two kisses from him today, if I had a girlfriend she'd be jealous," Subban said. "This is the happiest I've seen him all year this year. The energy he brings, I know I'm 25 years old, but Marky energizes me out there. He's played so well for us all year, and he's done a great job of teaching me how to be a pro every day and how to be better every day, so I don't mind if he kisses me know and then."
When the series shifts to Ottawa on Sunday – Montreal now has a 2-0 series lead after scoring 7 goals on Andrew "Hamburglar" Hammond and peppering his net with 81 shots in the first two games – Subban will surely be the focal point.
He doesn't care.
"I heard people saying they're going to boo him when we go to Ottawa, but he gets booed everywhere he goes and he just loves it. He's that type of guy . . . he feeds off the crowd, he feeds off the energy, it's exciting to watch," he said.
If you hated Subban before Friday night's performance, your feelings won't have softened when he took a minor liberty with Milan Michalek during a frantic goal-mouth scramble in the second period.
But the part that really hurt, from a Sens' perspective, is when he met a bounce-pass off the boards with a ferocious one-timer that Hammond will have heard more than he saw (it passed just an inch or two from his left ear).
"It's tough to do . . . and to put it where he did, that's pretty special," said Beaulieu.
The complicating factor for the Senators, who took the lead, then gave up a pair of goals (Max Pacioretty scoring in his return to the lineup after a suspected concussion scored the first on a power-play), before storming back to tie against Carey Price, the best goalie in the league, is that Subban is far from Montreal's only weapon.
Alex Galchenyuk, who at 21 years old already has two playoff overtime game winners on his resume, was jitterbugging all over the ice. Linemate Brendan Gallagher was up to his usual crease-crowding tricks, and centre Lars Eller seemed to boss the game whenever he was on the ice (he played only 14 minutes but also drew two penalties).
And we haven't even talked about the Canadiens' fourth line of Brandon Prust, Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn, a group the Senators can't seem to cope with effectively.
Hammond had his shaky moments in this one – coach Dave Cameron said that on Galchenyuk's goal "obviously I would have liked a save there, but you can't turn (the puck) over" – but it's hard to see the Sens going to Craig Anderson for game three.
The plain fact is Montreal dominated from the beginning of the second period on, and has broadly out-played the Sens in the first two games.
And it's not like Hammond doesn't have staunch allies in the Ottawa room.
"He's a rock for us. It's two losses in the playoffs. It's not time to get running around or pull the plug on anyone," said defenceman Mark Borowiecki.
The key, he continued, is for Ottawa to exhibit "urgency, not panic."
"We were down 14 (points at the trade deadline). Put this in regular season terms we're down four now. It's nothing we haven't seen before," he said.
The fact Stone was able to contribute a solid game despite being limited in his ability to shoot the puck – his two assists on the evening are a remarkable story all on their own – provided a huge lift.
The performance of captain Erik Karlsson, who was at his brilliant, swashbuckling best, is another auspicious sign, as is the fact Ottawa's power-play contributed a goal.
This series is far from over, and the Senators have already demonstrated they have no difficulty in digging themselves out of holes.
"We just need to win one game," said Cameron.
It had better be Sunday.