During a typically routine Montreal Canadiens practice session, tensions unexpectedly flared when defenseman Arber Xhekaj let his emotions boil over in a fiery exchange with forward Michael Pezzetta. The young blueliner, known for his physical edge and fierce competitiveness, appeared visibly frustrated during a drill that demanded precise positioning and quick reads.
After a few tense moments, Xhekaj lost his composure, shoving Pezzetta firmly and prompting an immediate reaction from teammates and coaching staff. Although scuffles are not uncommon in high-intensity practices, this particular incident drew attention for its intensity and the players’ apparent unwillingness to back down.
Coaches rushed to separate the two, offering stern words to diffuse the tension before practice resumed. Following the altercation, Xhekaj skated a few drills slower than his usual pace, seemingly still processing the moment, while Pezzetta maintained a calm facade.
Both players declined to comment afterward, but sources close to the team suggested the confrontation stemmed from mounting frustrations related to the club’s recent struggles. With the regular season’s grind wearing on everyone, tempers can easily erupt in such a competitive environment. Whether the clash will leave lingering effects on locker-room chemistry or serve as a rallying point remains to be seen.
We had some intense action during Montreal Canadiens’ practice today and things got extremely heated.
I’ll repeat myself, but I absolutely don’t think it’s a bad thing to see players ramp up the intensity and show their character during practice.. Especially since we can easily imagine that there’s nothing personal between Arber Xhekaj and Michael Pezzetta.
That being said, we definitely witnessed a notable sequence during the Canadiens practice at the Bell Centre.
There was an altercation between Arber Xhekaj and Michael Pezzetta.
Things got heated between Arber Xhekaj and Michael Pezzetta during Canadiens practice
According to the excellent Anthony Martineau, a journalist covering the Canadiens for TVA Sports, the whole incident started because Pezzetta didn’t appreciate Xhekaj slashing his gloves while he was on a breakaway during a drill.
We just witnessed a heated exchange between Arber Xhekaj and Michael Pezzetta.
Pezzetta wasn’t happy that Xhekaj slashed his gloves while he was on a breakaway.
During the next drill, Pezzetta responded by taking a whack at Xhekaj.
The two then got close along the boards, clearly frustrated.
A coach stepped in to calm things down before it escalated further.
The intensity is high, and that’s a very good sign.
– Anthony Martineau
And then we saw this:
These are clearly two players with strong personalities and a great work ethic, and I’m sure they’ll have a good conversation later today to put this behind them.
At the end of the day, the Canadiens are about to play playoff-style hockey, or close to it, in the coming days, so it’s completely normal and even reassuring to see the intensity level rising.
More details to come.
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