Marc-Andre Fleury's most recent blog came a few days before the series against Montreal. However, given his outstanding shutout performance last night it's only fitting to take a look at what MAF was thinking as he prepared for the series against his favorite childhood team.
You know who to thank for the translation of course; our good friend Becky.
Take the jump to see what MAF has to say.
A strange feeling
Hello to you all,
For the first time in my life, I’m going up against my childhood team, the Canadien, in the playoffs.
It’s a pretty bizarre feeling to find myself facing the Canadiens. When I was younger, I was a big fan of the CH, and I remember so well the 1993 Stanley Cup.
I grew up watching Patrick Roy and, later, it was Martin Brodeur.
Even though I was a fan of the Canadiens, I now hope to eliminate them in the second round of the playoffs!
The Canadiens players fully deserved their victory over the Washington Capitals in the first round. They worked hard, played well as a team, and succeeded in stopping the Caps’ big guns.
Jaroslav Halak was obviously the key in the seven-game victory. He made some miraculous saves and was truly dominant.
Watch out for the Plekanec line
Like my teammates, I expect a very difficult battle. The Canadiens’ attack is well balanced. I will have to look out for the first line of Plekanec, Cammalleri, and Andrei Kostitsyn.
Cammalleri possesses quite a one-timer, and Kostitsyn has a very good wrist shot. As a goaltender, you have to be very alert against such good scorers.
Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez will also be threats, as will Marc-André Bergeron and Andrei Markov.
The ambiance at the Bell Centre
Even though I was born in Sorel [Quebec], I don’t expect a very warm welcome at the Bell Center. The fans are going to yell my name in hopes of getting me off my game.
However, I’m used to that. More or less throughout the NHL, people yell my last name. I don’t know why, but Anglophones like to say: Fleeeeeeuuuuurrrrrrrrrrry!
Since the early stages of my NHL career, I’ve had some difficult starts in Ottawa and in Montreal. In the first round of the playoffs, I was able to beat the Senators three times on their ice in Ottawa.
That series gives me a good dose of confidence for the games in Montreal.
Å bientôt,
Marc-André Fleury