Arber Xhekaj shares the real reason he beat up Zach Kassian
The Montreal Canadiens have a really, really good rookie defensemen in Arber Xhekaj. He's taken the league by storm, endearing himself to fans around the league with his old-school style approach to playing the game of hockey. After taking on and dominating Zack Kassian, he's rose to the forefront of the NHL right now.
According to Arpon Basu of The Athletic in Montreal, there's a reason Xhekaj was able to dominate Kassian the way he did
Xhekaj went into the game knowing Kassian ran goaltender Samuel Montembeault last year, so he knew likely if he was given the opportunity, there was a score to settle.
Further to that, it appears he took pointers from teammate Michael Pezzetta on how to go about approaching a potential fight with the veteran tough guy. Xhekaj was told Kassian likes to set up, is somewhat of a technical fighter, so he rushed him instead of letting him set up.
There is nothing not to love about this kid, he does his homework, takes his craft seriously and knows his role and what he provides to the team. As these stories keep coming out, the more endearing a story he becomes.
| POLL | ||
Do you like Xhekaj�s game? | ||
| Yes | 203 | 54.3 % |
| No | 30 | 8 % |
| I love it | 124 | 33.2 % |
| He doesn�t need to fight. | 17 | 4.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
