Habs Michael Pezzetta: a standup teammate on and off the ice
Posted April 14, 2023 1:58 pm.
Last Updated April 14, 2023 6:35 pm.
Montreal Canadiens fans love Michael Pezzetta’s game style. The physicality and the energy he puts in all his shifts, and the fact that he’s always ready to stand up for his teammates.
But Pezzetta says he’s more than just the tough guy in the roster. Even though it was another disappointing season for the Habs, with no playoff run for the second year in a row, the 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds 25-year-old left wing had a positive season, becoming a steady presence on the Canadiens’ fourth line.
“The style I play (is) just working hard and kind of finishing every hit, and I think sometimes that results in fighting when it has to, but I know that I’m a hockey player first and I can kind of just do those things on the side, but I’m definitely not afraid to shy away from any of that stuff,” said Pezzetta.
“I think I’ve had a pretty good season, it’s definitely had some ups and downs but I think I’ve definitely found my game, especially throughout the middle towards the end of the season here, and I’m feeling confident about my game and what I can bring to the table. I definitely feel part of the team, and I know it was a little bit of a struggle at the start of the season to get in the lineup but I’ve found my groove now and I feel comfortable, and it’s a great group of guys in the dressing room and it’s just fun to be a part of when we’re winning.”
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The 2016 160th overall draft pick has just completed his second year with Montreal. Born in Toronto, Pezzetta is very close to his Italian Canadian family.
“I always go home in the summer and we have like a big, big garden in the back and tomatoes. So every summer we do fresh tomato sauce and that’s something that you get the whole family together and you do that,” he explained.
“And I think on top of that, we always do well, maybe not as much anymore, but up until my grandfather passed away or the little sick now, so it’s a little harder, but we used to always do make wine altogether and sausages.”
It’s from his family that Pezzetta got his passion for food and cooking. Something he likes to share with his teammates.
“I always try to couple of times during the season make a nice fresh lasagna for everybody and just kind of do everything from scratch and make a lasagna for the boys. I haven’t had the opportunity this year, the season has been a little crazy, but in the past year I’ve always done it. So something I just enjoy.”
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Do they love your lasagna?
“So far I’ve never had a negative review, so I definitely got the family recipe, it’s been passed down a couple of generations now, so it’s it’s pretty good!”
And if the Habs players love Pezzetta’s lasagna, fans go crazy for his easy-going attitude on the ice, just like when he went viral with his Tiger Williams ride-the-stick celebration after sealing the shootout win against the Buffalo Sabres last March.
“Yeah, I had seen Tiger Williams doing it. And I just said kind of at the moment I was like, heck if I get an opportunity to get the shoot-out winner, like I’m just going to go for it. And, uh, kind of just the adrenaline took over and I just went for it… I was just trying to have fun,” said Pezzetta.
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“I like to keep things loose, I just like to have fun. The game can be super serious sometimes, and obviously, there’s so many moving parts where it’s a stressful season, but I think if you can have fun, it just kind of takes the pressure off yourself and you enjoy it a lot more.”
