Montreal-Toronto: Presenting Public Enemy Number One

Any Montreal Canadiens' matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs is always one of a kind, with fights here and there—and as tradition has it, lots of penalty minutes.

But a new condiment has been added to the mix, which made the overall taste of that first season game additionally special.

It is that type of condiment that surprises at the touch of the lips, and depending on how it is handled, can leave an aftertaste.

Tonight, the special flavor to the season opener is named Mike Komisarek. The once sweet taste that Montreal fans used to enjoy during his stay with the team automatically changed to bitter when he joined the rivals Maple Leafs.

Komisarek’s new fans must certainly enjoy this big defenseman, laying hits around the ice and imposing an impressive physique right in the nose of the opponents. Now, they must love him more.

The intensity that the No. 8 is displaying on the battlefield has made its way around the league, building the reputation of a physical player, which is one thing the Leafs won’t complain about.

But when comes a time when too much intensity becomes a threat to the well-being of your team, you have to take a breather.

Out of the nine penalties that have been served to the Habs, six belonged to Komisarek, two of which helped the Habs score.

Tonight’s aftertaste has been saved by Carey Price’s stellar performance, who made 43 saves. Otherwise, all that we would have remembered from this season opener is chilli hot Komisarek running after everyone.

Sergei Kostitsyn’s departure has put a silence note on the Mikhail Grabovski’s case, of course until he finds another partner to dance with—which should not take too long.

Until then, no worries, Komo seemed to have mastered the art of making enemies fast.