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Cammalleri might not have said, “We play like losers”

Mike Cammalleri

“We play like losers” is what Canadiens forward Mike Cammalleri was quoted as saying yesterday. Except he might not have said exactly that.

According to the Montreal Gazette, what Cammalleri likely said was that the Habs are playing with a “losing mentality.” That quote was then translated into French. Later, it was translated back into English, and out popped, “We play like losers.”

Just for fun, let’s see if something like that could happen. We’ll start with a random sentence in English:

Maxim Lapierre and Brad Marchand scurried down to the market to buy some cheese. Along the way, they held up a liquor store and made away with an undisclosed amount of cash. As of this morning, their whereabouts were unknown.

Translate to French using Google Translate:

Maxim Lapierre et Brad Marchand couraient vers le marché pour acheter du fromage. En chemin, ils ont tenu un magasin d’alcools et fait disparaître un montant non divulgué de l’argent. Dès ce matin, leurs allées et venues n'étaient pas connues.

Translate back to English:

Maxim Lapierre and Brad Marchand ran to the market to buy cheese. Along the way, they held a liquor store and removes an undisclosed amount of money. This morning, their whereabouts were unknown.

It’s close, but there are some clear differences.

Anyway, Cammalleri clarified his comments today.

“Yesterday was a little bit crazy. I’m obviously not happy,” he said, as per NHL.com. “It’s an emotional game, we’re sitting in 12th spot, so it’s not fun to lose and you want to win. So you always want to do more. That’s all. I made some comments after my interview yesterday that I thought were pretty PC comments with regards to the competitive advantage a winning team has and their mentality, and the lack thereof of a losing team. I didn’t think it was ground-breaking news.

“We’re in 12th spot, we’re not in a winning position right now. So it was some pretty impressive journalism to make all that out of that. But that’s what it was for me. This group in here knows that we’ve got to be better. It’s no secret, like I said, [we’re in] 12th spot.”

Cammalleri has just nine goals in 37 games, and Tuesday he was booed by Habs fans at the Bell Centre. So regardless of what exactly was said, yesterday’s outpouring only furthered the speculation he could be traded away.

However, that’s not what he wants.

“I love Montreal. I just built a house in Montreal. I haven’t moved in yet. But I love Montreal, I love playing in Montreal, it’s surprising to me [the boos],” said Cammalleri. “I think that I’ve had somewhat of a love affair with the city and things can change pretty quick. But not for me. I really enjoy it; my family loves it. I really enjoy what it means to play for the Montreal Canadiens. I always have since I’ve been there and I’ve got nothing else on that.”