Bruins vs. Canadiens: Tomas Kaberle Returns to Boston Wearing the Enemy Sweater

When Tomas Kaberle steps on the TD Garden ice tonight, the Boston Bruins fans will no doubt be appreciative of him helping the team win the Stanley Cup last season, but in the eyes of many, his brief tenure in Boston was a failure.

Kabby [Kaberle] was a great individual and for whatever people may think of him, he helped us win a Stanley Cup," said Bruins head coach Claude Julien after Monday's morning skate.

"Maybe people didn't see him as having as much of an impact as they all thought he would, or even ourselves, but he still brought a positive element to our hockey club and he certainly helped us control the puck from the back end onto the power play."

Kaberle's former Bruins teammates spoke highly of him as well Monday morning.

"Kaby [Kaberle] is a great guy and a great person, and he's a really good player," said Bruins forward Gregory Cambpell. "I think he'll do well in Montreal; he's used to playing in that market. He helped us a lot."

While the end result was surely a good one for the Bruins as a team, they certainly did not get the production they needed from Kaberle on last year's history championship run.

It's clear Kaberle was appreciated more in the Bruins dressing room than by the fans, but there's no question he wasn't the same great offensive defenseman he was for many seasons in Toronto.

When Kaberle was acquired by the Bruins from the Toronto Maple Leafs before the trading deadline last February, he was supposed to immediately cure the team's need for a puck-moving defenseman, but he was not the power-play quarterback the fans thought they were going to see.

Kaberle scored .65 points per game with the Maple Leafs last season and had 22 power play assists, but with Boston, he averaged just .37 points per game with only three assists on the power play.

After struggling mightily with the Carolina Hurricanes this season, Kaberle was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jaroslav Spacek, and the move has already paid immediate dividends for the Habs.

After scoring just nine points in 24 games for the Hurricanes, Kaberle has five in four games with Montreal and has played really well for a defensive corps decimated by injuries this season.

Why the quick turnaround in production in Montreal? Well, Kaberle is no stranger to playing in the pressure of major hockey markets.

"A lot of guys aren't used to being in that bubble day in and day out, and I think he thrives under that pressure," said Campbell. "

"He's lucky; he's played on three original six teams. You ask anybody around the league, and anybody would love to play on an original six team."

Kaberle is back in his comfort zone in Montreal, and you can see it in his play.

"...what he's done right now in Montreal is exactly what he's known for, being a good power play guy, a good puck moving defenseman..." said Julien.

Not only will he get a lot of playing time in Montreal, the passion the fans have for their team will fuel him to perform to the best of his abilities.

Kaberle is a very good player, but like most, it's hard to thrive in a situation you don't feel comfortable in or are unfamiliar with.

In Montreal, Kaberle is under pressure to win games for a rabid fan base who expect sensational results, and that is the kind of pressure he thrives on.

Follow @NicholasGoss35

All quotes obtained first hand.

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.