MONTREAL — Torrey Mitchell says he’s gone from “completely one end of the spectrum to the other.”
It’s a journey that took him and teammate Brian Flynn from hockey hell to hockey heaven. Seven weeks ago they were playing out the string for the 30th-place Buffalo Sabres and today they’re skating in playoff games at the Bell Centre.
“It’s a completely different atmosphere coming to the rink here and showing up here every day,” said Mitchell. “We’re pushing to win the Stanley Cup and it wasn’t like that in Buffalo.
“It was a nice change for me.”
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The 30-year-old could hardly believe his luck when Montreal traded a seventh-round pick and prospect for him on deadline day. He grew up just across the river in Greenfield Park, attending games at the Montreal Forum as a kid, and has been flush with emotion while living out a childhood dream.
“It’s been a little bit surreal,” he said.
Put yourself in Mitchell’s shoes for a moment. Despite being a veteran NHL player, at this time last year he bought a pair of tickets and attended a Habs first-round playoff game against Tampa Bay.
He sat in the steeply-banked seats, soaked up the energy and went completely unnoticed.
“You don’t get recognized when you come home after playing on a 30th-place team,” he quipped after a Game 1 victory over Ottawa.
For Flynn, the move to Montreal has been a different experience. He grew up in Massachusetts as a fan of the rival Boston Bruins but says it’s been easy to drop the allegiance.
He garnered a reputation in Buffalo as one of the team’s hardest-working players — the Sabres won some games when Ted Nolan increased his role in November — and is starting to carve out a niche with Montreal after arriving in a separate deadline deal than Mitchell.
Flynn marvels at the energy around the city right now. He’s taken up residence in the old port and finds reminders of it everywhere he goes.
“Every other guy seems to have a jersey on,” said Flynn. “You really feel it in the crowd when you step out there for the games and you see those towels going. When you’re in your stall before the game and you can hear the ‘Ole!’ chants going.
“It’s more intense [than Buffalo], but a lot more fun too.”
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While neither player is a headline-grabber, both have played a key role in Montreal getting off to a 2-0 series lead over the Senators. They’ve formed two-thirds of a surprisingly effective fourth line with Brandon Prust and Flynn even found himself taking a couple shifts on the top unit during Friday’s game.
Both he and Mitchell are right-handed shots that can play centre or wing. Habs coach Michel Therrien employed Flynn on the top line when there was a faceoff to be taken on his strong side.
“We have two righty centremen now who can take draws, we’ve never really had that before,” said Max Pacioretty. “It’s nice to have a variation.”
Given how most of their season went, the players certainly appreciate the opportunity.
Mitchell chuckles at the thought of paying his way into the Bell Centre last year and playing there now. The Habs won the game he attended on their way to a series sweep of the Lightning, but he didn’t partake in the celebration.
“I think I was pretty neutral,” said Mitchell. “Pretty hard not to cheer for Montreal, when you’re at a home game in the playoffs, when you’re surrounded by it.”
There’s no reason for neutrality now.