from Jack Todd at the Montreal Gazette,

The real question is how Radulov came to be perceived as a problem in the first place. A big, powerful, jovial forward with a high skill set, muscle enough to hold off any defenceman and an obvious passion for the game, Radulov is like Alex Kovalev without The Enigma’s tendency to take frequent nights off — so why the doubts? Have we really become such uptight, cellphone wielding, social-media addicted prudes that we want no part of a talented player because he once stayed out until 4 a.m. the night before a playoff game?

It’s ridiculous. Had we applied such rules to Guy Lafleur, he would have spent half his career suspended or nailed to the bench, but today’s athlete is expected to be a version of Sidney Crosby: a hockey-playing robot with the personality of a glass of warm milk.

If we didn’t expect hockey players to behave like monks, Radulov’s success with the Canadiens would not have come as a surprise. The ability was there all along. Radulov first appeared on the radar when tore the “Q” to shreds. In 127 games with the Remparts in Quebec City, he scored 93 goals with 193 assists. In the playoffs his second year, he added 21 goals and 34 assists for 55 points in 23 games.

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