The 6-foot-4, 238-pound defenseman isn’t afraid to drop the gloves, but he’s shown he’s more than just a badass.
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Arber Xhekaj is still adjusting to his sudden fame as a member of the Canadiens.
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“It’s quite special and it’s quite weird at times,” Xhekaj said after Wednesday’s practice in Brossard. “Sometimes people catch me staring at me and I’m not sure what those guys are looking at. They try to figure out if it’s really me or not. It’s kind of funny because they’ll just look at me and I’ll say, do I have something on my face, or what?
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“I love when kids notice me,” Xhekaj added. “It’s been good being that popular guy. It’s always fun.
Most Habs fans didn’t know much about Xhekaj at the start of training camp. He was never selected in the NHL Draft, but he earned the nickname “Sheriff” while playing as a junior with the Kitchener Rangers and Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL because of his tough and tough style of play. of his will to fight.
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The 6-foot-4, 238-pound player has already shown he’s not afraid to let go of the NHL gloves by beating NHL veteran Zack Kassian in a 6-2 victory over the Coyotes. Arizona last Thursday at the Bell Center.
“I got a lot of attention for that,” Xhekaj said. “I just put a bounty on my head for the other guys and kind of put myself on the radar of the other big guys in the league.”
Xhekaj won’t shy away from defending his teammates, but he’s shown he’s more than just a badass. His teammates at the Canadiens have given him a new nickname, Wi-Fi, because his name sounds like a login password.
Canadiens assistant Stephane Robidas, who coaches defensemen, watched Xhekaj play in the Memorial Cup last season with the Bulldogs, but admits he didn’t know much about his coming to training camp this season , apart from the fact that he was tall and strong.
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“We all knew he’s tough and he can be physical,” Robidas said on Wednesday when speaking to the media after practice. “But his skating ability and his poise with the puck…he made some really good plays on transitions, on breakouts. In the offensive zone, he scored a nice goal the other day. I think it was a pleasant surprise, that’s for sure.
“I think he’s a bit unique,” Robidas said when asked if he could compare Xhekaj to anyone he’s played with or against in his 15-year NHL career. “It’s hard to compare. I played with Sheldon Souray, who is a bigger guy, tougher, very good shooter. But I think Arber is probably a better skater. Probably moves better than Sheldon.
The Bell Center crowd went wild after Xhekaj ridiculed Kassian during their fight and there was another roaring ovation after his first NHL goal the following game in a 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. When Xhekaj was announced as part of the starting lineup for Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, he received another loud ovation.
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Xhekaj recalls memories of Chris Nilan with the Canadiens – a tough guy who was always ready to defend his teammates, but could also play hockey, scoring 21 goals in the 1984-85 season. Xhekaj met Nilan on Monday night when the Canadiens hosted a dinner at the Bell Center for season ticket holders with current and former team members.
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“I sat with him all dinner and we got to talk all dinner and it was pretty cool,” Xhekaj said. “He has a great story. He wasn’t the biggest guy, but he’s definitely one of the toughest. Three thousand penalty minutes, he said, and he said there were only nine guys with that. So it’s pretty good to chat with a guy who was a badass in those days because that’s a whole different thing. I took some advice from him and he told me what he thought of the fight (with Kassian) and all sorts of things like that. It was good.”
There are going to be some growing pains for Xhekaj and he had some in Tuesday’s loss to the Wild. He had a tough first period, then got drawn into taking a questionable roughing penalty against Ryan Hartman in the second period with a delayed penalty already given to the Wild.
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“I know when the referee has their hand up you can’t do anything because they’re just looking to equalise,” Xhekaj said. “There, I made a mistake. Mistakes will happen and in the future it won’t happen again.
Xhekaj is proving he can play in the NHL with 1-2-3 totals in his first seven games and a plus-2 differential with an average of 15:11 of ice time. It is also quickly becoming a fan favorite.
“I feel the love, for sure,” he said. “When I walk, I have cars honking at me, people encouraging me. It’s really cool to be a bit popular here.
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