Montreal Canadiens' Alex Galchenyuk, centre, celebrates with teammates Tomas Plekanec, left, and Alexei Emelin after scoring against the Detroit Red Wings during third period NHL hockey action in Montreal, Tuesday, October 21, 2104.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
To put it in perspective, Detroit Red Wings blueliner Kyle Quincey is a sturdily-built six-foot-two and 220ish pounds – not a behemoth, but lots of other defencemen in the NHL are more easily shifted.
With just over three minutes to play in regulation at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Montreal's Alex Galchenyuk skated toward the side of the Detroit net as teammate Alexei Emelin fluttered in a shot from the left point.
Upon arriving he flat-out – and there is no other way to put it – manhandled Quincey, shoving him backward and ultimately to his knees, got his stick on the puck and deflected it narrowly wide.
Then he scooted behind the net to pick it up, popped out the other side and swept the puck past Wings goalie Jimmy Howard, who to that point had made 32 saves.
It was the tying goal in a game the Habs would go on to win in overtime – a rousing occasion, then, even if the leg-slide-fist-pump celebration lacked originality in the mind of at least one teammate.
"He claims it's his celebration but I've been in the league a lot longer, well at least a couple of years longer than him. I remember my first overtime goal, I did it at centre ice, so I'm going to claim it as my celebration," said P.K. Subban, tongue firmly in cheek. "But if he keeps scoring, he can do whatever he wants."
The Habs have jumped out to a 6-1 start to the season – despite yielding the first goal six times, and they have already matched last year's total of wins (three) while trailing after two periods.
The early success is in no small part due to the sterling play of the forward unit made up of Galchenyuk, Tomas Plekanec and P.A. Parenteau.
Against Detroit, as it has been most nights in the early going, the line was Montreal's most dangerous – with a little more finish, Parenteau would have potted a couple of goals thanks to Galchenyuk's superlative passing ability.
The 20-year-old third-year pro was the best player on the ice.
Galchenyuk has always oozed high-end skill – it's what made him the third overall pick in the 2012 NHL draft – but the play was a glimpse of what he is on the way to becoming: a physically powerful player.
"He competed hard on that goal," said coach Michel Therrien, later adding "the battle level is there . . . the kid's got character, that's why we like him."
That's a bit of a curious statement, in that the easiest thing to admire is his skill level (hands down the highest among the team's forwards), but Therrien's observation is accurate.
Earlier in the game, he jousted with Quincey during a post-whistle skirmish, and briefly wrestled with him on the ice – he's still young, but this is not a player who is inclined to put up with any guff.
Galchenyuk has started the season by notching seven points in seven games, and if he's not yet atop the Habs' scoring chart (Plekanec has one more point), he will soon become the focal point of the opposition's gameplan.
This is not, strictly speaking, a surprise.
The Habs are counting on Galchenyuk taking a step forward this season – someone has to account for the top-six minutes and offence provided by Thomas Vanek and former captain Brian Gionta, who left as free agents last July.
In training camp, Galchenyuk was asked by the author of these lines whether he sets any kind of specific or not-so-specific goals for himself at the outset of a season.
His response: "no, not really. I don't think I have any limits to what I can do, so I'm not going to set any by having goals."
After the Detroit game he was asked whether he feels more comfortable dealing with NHL defencemen in tight, he seemed amused by the question.
"Uh, I have no idea," he said. "I don't know, I definitely feel comfortable in some areas going into my third year, but for me to stand here and say I'm confident and stuff like that, it's only seven games in. I still want to keep improving and keep succeeding, there's lots of work to do."
Galchenyuk has played less than two full seasons – 120 regular season and 10 playoff games – but he is the highest-scoring player from his draft year, and is coming into his own both as a playmaker and scorer.
"We see in practice how good he is. He's going to explode at some point, but when you look at how he's playing this year maybe he's already kind of doing it," said centre David Desharnais, who scored the overtime winner on a rebound of Max Pacioretty's shot.
Asked what difference he sees in Galchenyuk's game this season, Desharnais said "It's maturity, you learn how to make good decisions, you play more minutes, it's the usual progression. But he's a guy who has a ton of talent. It's just a question of time – although what does he have, seven points in seven games? Maybe the time is now."
The U.S.-born Galchenyuk, the son of a pro hockey player, is having none of that kind of talk.
"I'm happy with the way things are going but I can't stop . . . I had a similar start (last year) but I hit a slump later and that's what makes me push even more right now and keep working hard right now. It's easier to go into a slump than to get out of one," he said.
With success comes attention, and defenders will clamp down on Galchenyuk as the season grinds on.
They'd best be ready for a bruising battle.