Host: Shea Weber “doesn't give a damn” about the Canadiens!
Is this treatment unfair, or is he not fulfilling his obligations?
By now, you've likely heard that Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber, who in all likelihood will never suit up again thanks to injury troubles, is in hot water with the media in the hockey-crazy province of Quebec after he was conspicuously absent from the first home game following the passing of the legendary Guy Lafleur.
Prior to the game on Sunday against the Boston Bruins at Bell Centre, the Canadiens featured a video tribute to the late Lafleur, followed by a near ten-minute ovation of applause in celebration of his life. However, Weber was not in attendance, and pundits criticized him for what they felt was dereliction of duty, especially considering the fact that he was on hand in Nashville earlier this year for the jersey retirement ceremony of former teammate Pekka Rinne.
And now, the Montreal media is taking it a step further.
TVA Sports host Jean-Charles Lajoie berated Weber on his show yesterday, stating that should Weber be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, he'd go in as a Nashville Predator rather than a Habs. Of course, Weber first arrived in Montreal in 2016 in the major trade that saw P.K. Subban head the other way.
(Translated from French) "For me, it is an accounting line in the accounting books of Canadians. If he were to enter the Hall of Fame one day, I'll guarantee you the chalet it would be with the Nashville Predators cap. He was always just a Nashville Predators player. We'll have to put it in the noggin. This year, he didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't show up once or so, but he did pay his respects to his friend Pekka Rinne."
Soon after, Michel Bergeron took a particularly brutal tone towards Weber, going so far as to say that he "doesn't give a damn" about the Habs, whom he also feels will pressure the former defenseman to attend Lafleur's state funeral early next month.
“I think the Canadians are going to do everything to make sure he stays until Tuesday," he said. "They're going to put pressure on Weber. He was not present when Guy's memory was honored. That's enough! Someone in the organization has to oblige. He cashed his check throughout the season, without speaking to reporters. Weber doesn't give a damn about the Montreal Canadiens. That's the least of his worries."
Weber is certainly getting put through the ringer in Montreal right now, but is it justified?
