For a second time in as many days, the Canadiens prospects will take on Toronto's this afternoon at the Bell Centre.
It will be hot and humid again this afternoon in Montreal but over 20,000 hockey fans won't be feeling the heat as they'll pack the Bell Centre for the last game of the Prospect Showdown between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After Lane Hutson stole the show on the Habs' side on Saturday and Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten did the same for the Leafs, it will be interesting to see if someone else will stand out for either team.
There should be very little changes to the lineup, if any, on both sides but the game promises to be even more entertaining than yesterday's helping. The early jitters should be a thing of the past and the Canadiens should start right where they left off with more cohesion and better play.
Yesterday, in his media availability, Laval Rocket coach Pascal Vincent praised the camaraderie around the team and the way everyone wants to help one another. This is the kind of culture you can put in place when you've got good leadership on the team.
Speaking of which, the Canadiens posted a video of Brendan Gallagher giving a speech to their prospects, telling them how far they still have to go, how much they still need to learn and how important it is that they make the most of the resources available to them. He emphasized how he was a late draft pick and how grabbing the opportunity Montreal gave him with both hands allowed him to climb the ladder.
While many fans complain about Gallagher's cap hit, they should remember that there's more to hockey than the points put up on the scoreboard. There is great value in leadership and the alternate captain brings tons of it to the table.
The puck drops at 1:00 PM on the second game of the Prospect Showdown, but If you can't wait until until then for another dose of hockey, SKA St. Petersburg is taking on Lada at 10:00 AM ET on the other side of the pond. Ivan Demidov's team is still looking for its second win of the season.
