Photo of Arber Xhekaj

Photo credit: All Montreal Hockey

Arber Xhekaj sent a powerful message after his fight victory, and it says a lot about what he has just been through.

After the game, in front of the cameras, the “Sheriff” opened the door on his state of mind. He explained that after losing a few fights in a row, he had genuinely started wondering what was going on. He absolutely wanted a result like that, to prove something to himself, and to prove all of the critics wrong.

He won that fight against 6-foot-5 Jets center Adam Lowry, and when Xhekaj sent him to the penalty box with the crowd on its feet, it wasn’t just a win, it was weight off his shoulders.

“It’s big, when you lose a couple of fights, you start thinking too much.

Like have I lost it, what’s going on…

But I’m pretty mentally strong, I think that kinda helps with the fighting role, but it definitely helps to have a good one tonight.”

– Arber Xhekaj on his fight against Lowry, Via Anthony Martineau, TVA Sports

For several weeks, the criticism had been pouring in. People pointed out his losses to Tanner Jeannot and Nicolas Deslauriers, and the fact he refused to drop the gloves against Tom Wilson and Kurtis MacDermid.

Some even wondered whether he still had a place in the Canadiens’ regular lineup.

Arber Xhekaj starts believing in himself again

At 24 years old, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenseman, Xhekaj has played 24 games this season, with no goals, 1 assist, 1 point, a -6 differential, and 42 penalty minutes. Those numbers confirm he remains one of the most physical players in the Montreal locker room.

Since joining the Montreal Canadiens, he has played 189 games, scored 9 goals, added 21 assists for 30 points, with 342 penalty minutes and an average ice time of 14:46 per game in his NHL career.

His work is rewarded by a two-year contract worth 2.6 million dollars, a cap hit of 1.3 million until the end of the 2025-2026 season.

In that context, hearing a guy like him admit he doubted his “confidence” in fighting is striking. Several observers had already mentioned an identity somewhat lost in Xhekaj over recent months, a player less free to be himself on the ice.

For a defenseman who built his career by dropping the gloves, facing his own doubts is possibly the biggest battle of all.

Previously on All Montreal Hockey

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