Normally I wouldn't take quite so much pleasure in this, but because of the rash of mockery-laden emails I receive every time a Canadian team beats the Lightning, I'm making an exception. The Montreal Canadiens are in Tampa right now to play the Bolts. Apparently they got in some time early yesterday. And a couple of players allowed themselves enough time to start a ruckus.

A Montreal Canadiens player was arrested and charged with felony grand theft for — wait for it! — stealing a woman's purse at a night club!

I don't know what goes on in the City of Saints, but come on, purse-snatching? Really?!

February 12, 2008

Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. — Ryan O'Byrne and Tom Kostopoulos joined their Montreal teammates for practice Monday, hours after being arrested outside a Tampa nightclub.

Police said O'Byrne, a 23-year-old rookie, was accused of stealing a woman's purse. Right wing Kostopoulos, 29, was charged with resisting an officer.

O'Byrne was charged with felony grand theft and released after posting $2,000 bail. Kostopoulos faces a misdemeanor count of resisting an officer without violence and was freed on $500 bail.

"You wish these things didn't happen, but once things happen, trying to go backwards isn't a possibility, so we move ahead," Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey said after practice at the St. Pete Times Forum, where Montreal faces the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.

I really want to hear the story behind this because you know it's a good one.

And for the record, my Bolts have won three of the last four games against Canadian clubs. (I'm trying to block out the 8-4 loss to Ottawa.)