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Mike Cammalleri Traded: Habs Forward Shipped To Flames After Controversial Remarks

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MONTREAL, QC - MAY 20: Mike Cammalleri #13 of the Montreal Canadiens looks on during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre on May 20, 2010 in Montreal, Canada.  (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

Mike Cammalleri of the Montreal Canadiens has been traded to the Calgary Flames for Rene Bourque. Packages of picks and prospects join each player. Why a trade? Apparently, Cammalleri is too honest.

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From Our Editors

Rene Bourque Traded, Will Now Likely Face Payback For Nicklas Backstrom Hit

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Rene Bourque wasn't on the ice for the Calgary Flames when they hosted the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night, but that was to be the case had he been traded to the Montreal Canadiens or not. Bourque was serving the fourth game of his five-game suspension, handed out last week after he elbowed Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom in the head.

The Caps were disappointed they wouldn't have the chance to dish out some retribution on Bourque, considering they didn't play the Flames the rest of the season. Troy Brouwer, in particular, told the Washington Times that he'd love to see Bourque on the ice again.

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Feature

'Typical Montreal:' Mike Cammalleri Trade Just The Latest Embarrassment For Bumbling Canadiens

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Time and time again this season, the Montreal Canadiens have proven that they can't handle any type of adverse pressure. The trade of Mike Cammalleri is just the latest example of an organization that's as bumbling as their general manager.

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Article

Canadiens Vs. Bruins: Mike Cammalleri Traded Mid-Game As Boston Defeats Montreal, 2-1

Goaltender Tim Thomas made 33 saves, while Jordan Caron and Milan Lucic scored goals to lead the reigning Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins over the floundering Montreal Canadiens, 2-1, at TD Garden Thursday night.

The Bruins were the recipient of an unfortunate bounce off the boards for Carey Price. The Habs' netminder went behind the cage to stop a wraparound by defenseman Johnny Boychuk, but the puck kicked out in front to Caron, who had a wide open net staring at him. The winger gladly deposited his second goal of the year just 1:23 into the game.

Lucic provided what proved to be a much-needed insurance marker early in the third period, sending a backhander from the slot past Price 3:43 into the stanza for his 15th of the season and a 2-0 Boston lead.

After a skirmish created by a high hit by defenseman P.K. Subban on David Krejci and a resultant Montreal power play, Yannick Weber was able to ruin Thomas' shutout bid for the Canadiens' only goal with 7:14 remaining in regulation.

Thomas improved his record to 18-7-0, while Price dropped to 15-16-7.

These are two teams heading in very different directions.

Boston continues their ascent to the top of the NHL standings, posting a stellar 11-2 record over the last 13 contests. Following a 3-7-0 October start in which many would call a 'Stanley Cup hangover', the Bruins are a sizzling 25-4-1 in their last 30 outings.

Montreal, conversely, is in a complete free fall in the Eastern Conference, having lost nine of their last 12 games. The Habs currently sit in the 12th spot, seven points out of the eighth and final playoff spot, but just three points ahead of the East's cellar-dwelling New York Islanders.

The result on the ice wasn't the biggest story of the night coming out of Boston Thursday, and you never know just what will happen when these two original six teams with such a storied history of a bitter rivalry get together.

Following the first period of this clash, Montreal traded Mike Cammalleri, along with the rights to goalie Karri Ramo, and a fifth round draft pick in 2012 to the Calgary Flames for Rene Bourque, Patrick Holland, and a second round draft pick in 2013, just a day after the winger made what many felt were disparaging remarks about the club.

"We prepare for our games like losers," Cammalleri said Wednesday. "We play like losers. So it's no wonder why we lose."

GM Pierre Gauthier insisted the trade had nothing to do with Cammalleri's comments that the Habs have a "loser mentality".

"Usually you see (guys traded) before games, after a pre-game skate, after games you kind of see guys pulled off a plane or bus, but that's the first time I've seen it during a game," Cammalleri said. "So it was a unique circumstance for sure."

The 29-year-old returns to the scene of his best NHL season, where he scored 39 goals and 82 points during the 2008-09 campaign as a member of the Flames. He signed with the Canadiens as an UFA the following summer.

Though he had scored goals in three of his last seven games, Cammalleri didn't score a goal in 10 prior contests. His offensive production has decreased each year in Montreal, and this season's nine goals and 22 points in 37 games was a huge disappointment.

From Our Editors

Rene Bourque On Trade To Montreal Canadiens: 'I Might Be In Trouble, I Don't Speak French'

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I've been told that in Montreal, they like their hockey people to speak French. Rene Bourque sounds like a guy who would speak French, and he has quite possibly the most French of French names. He's been traded to the Canadiens this Thursday evening.

But, bad news: He doesn't speak French.

Update

Montreal Canadiens Trade Mike Cammalleri To Calgary Flames For Rene Bourque: Who Won The Deal?

Mike Cammalleri was traded to the Calgary Flames on Thursday evening, yanked from the third period of a game in Boston and shipped across the continent. While he was the centerpiece of the deal, especially following his comments to the media about the Canadiens on Wednesday, he wasn't the only piece of the trade.

Joining the forward on the flight to Calgary will be goaltender Karri Ramo, formerly of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. He's currently playing for Avangard Omsk in the KHL. A fifth round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft is also going to Calgary. Heading back to Montreal will be forward Rene Bourque, prospect Patrick Holland and a second round pick in the 2013 draft.

Bourque and Cammalleri sort of cancel each other out in the deal. They've put up similar numbers in the last several seasons and play similar games, although Bourque may use his size to his advantage a bit more while Cammalleri is more of a finesse player.

The second round pick versus the fifth round pick is obviously a big discrepancy in the balance of the deal, and Holland likely has more upside than Ramo, who's left North America for Russia. Neither prospect is a stud, however. Holland is finishing up is final season of Major Junior eligibility with the WHL's Tri-City Americans.

In terms of the salary cap, the Flames are taking on salary here, and a considerable amount. Cammalleri has a cap hit of $6 million per season, the main reason fans in Montreal disliked his comments Wednesday, while Bourque has a cap hit of just $3.3 million, according to CapGeek.com. Of course, Bourque still has four years left on his deal following this season, while Cammalleri's deal expires in the summer of 2014.

It's really a pretty even trade. Calgary adds salary right away but gets rid of that salary sooner, and the players are really not that different from one another. The prospects are both underwhelming and shouldn't impact the overall bottom line all that much for either team.

The slight initial edge has to go to the Canadiens simply because they've added what will likely be an early second round pick in 2013, while losing a fifth rounder this season, but there's still time for that to play out.

Update

Mike Cammalleri Traded By Montreal Canadiens To Calgary Flames; Rene Bourque Headed To Habs

Mike Cammalleri has been traded by the Montreal Canadiens, and he's heading west to the Calgary Flames, according to TSN. NHL Network reports that Rene Bourque is part of the deal in the other direction, although it's unclear if there's more involved in the trade.

The now-former Canadiens was taken off the bench in the third period of the Habs game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden, and according to reports, he was sent back to the team hotel.

He wasn't injured, and here's the fishy part: the Canadiens weren't due to head back to their hotel after the game. They're heading right for the airport. It's beyond strange, and teams almost never pull players from games in the NHL. Typically, you'd just wait until after the game to announce the deal and things would go on as usual.

The Canadiens couldn't wait. Or, perhaps they were trying to send a message. Cammalleri was blatantly honest in his assessment of the team in a session with reporters on Wednesday, saying that "We prepare for our games like losers. We play like losers. So it's no wonder why we lose."

Of course, there's the language element involved. Cammalleri doesn't speak French, and he was conveying his thoughts in English. That quote came from French-language publication La Presse, while an English-language report from NHL.com indicated that he only insinuated that the team was "playing like losers."

Regardless, it doesn't matter. Many fans in Montreal have been unhappy with the way Cammalleri has played, and his calling out of his teammates was seen not as a rallying call for an underwhelming hockey club but whining and complaining when he should be putting his head down and working out of his struggles.

We don't yet know the full package heading back to Montreal, but Cammalleri is headed back to the team for which he played the 2008-09 season. He came to Calgary in a draft day trade in 2008 and put up 82 points in 81 games for the Flames that following season, but left in free agency to sign with the Canadiens the following summer.

Bourque has put up 148 points in 211 games for the Flames over the last three seasons. Like Cammalleri, he does not speak French. For more on this developing story, stick with this Mike Cammalleri trade StoryStream.

Original Story

Mike Cammalleri Under Fire For Honest Remarks About Struggling Canadiens

Mike Cammalleri has always be an open and honest player off the ice and after signing a five-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens in 2009, has been one of the more candid players in the Habs locker room. In a city that places extreme scrutiny upon their hockey players and is never afraid to run off players they deem unworthy of wearing the Habs sweater, it's no wonder that a player like Cammalleri has become a bit of controversial figure in Montreal.

At $6 million a season, there are some that say he's underperformed in two and a half seasons in Montreal. With just 22 points through 37 games this season, Cammalleri has struggled along with his team and in the midst of mid-season change, coaching controversy and with the GM under fire -- it's no wonder that Cammalleri would let his frustrations be known publicly.

Unfortunately, his honesty may lead to his departure from Montreal.

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