When Michael Cammalleri was traded from the Canadiens back to the Flames in January, he seemed relieved. It was no secret that Cammalleri had grown tired of the Canadiens organization and they were no longer seeing eye-to-eye, so it seemed like an appropriate time for the relationship to end. Cammalleri had, however, enjoyed a number of huge playoff moments with the Habs during his three seasons with the team, so he asked if he could keep his Canadiens jersey when he left town. Montreal GM Pierre Gauthier reportedly told him that would be fine, as long as he was willing to buy it.
According to the Montreal Gazette, Gauthier wanted Cammalleri to pay $1,250 for the jersey if he wanted to keep it as a souvenir. When asked about the incident earlier this week, Cammalleri said he “can neither confirm nor deny it.”
As Puck Daddy pointed out, Cammalleri accused the Canadiens of having a “losing mentality” before he was pulled from the ice during a game against the Bruins and traded. Because of the way he left, he and the organization were not on good terms during his final days with the team.
Despite the sour ending, this seems like a Bush League move from the Habs. If you ask me, Cammalleri asking to keep his jersey was almost a way of apologizing and letting the team know he had no hard feelings and no regrets for the time he spent in Montreal. Instead of letting bygones be bygones, it sounds like Gauthier felt like flexing his muscles.
H/T Puck Daddy
Photo credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-US PRESSWIRE
