PLEKANEC ATTEMPTING TO FIND MANLY WAY TO HUG KOVALEV

MONTREAL - Mere days ago, Alex Kovalev of the Montreal Canadiens released a DVD for charity. Tomas Plekanec was moved by the donation and has been trying to find a manly way to give Kovalev a hug ever since.

Despite spending the entire season racking up points and impressing his line-mate, Plekanec still finds it difficult to find an appropriately masculine way to hug Kovalev after a job well done.

"It's odd, because on the ice, after we score, it's easy to rush into each other's arms and say 'good job, bro,' but off the ice, it's just awkward," said Plekanec, who recounted several other awkward hug attempts, including a particularly ill-conceived attempt in the locker-room shower.

"I think I'm going to try out something different today, like 'nice DVD, douche-bag,' then I'll apologize and we'll hug."

When asked for comment, Kovalev simply laughed and said, "Well that explains a lot. I mean, the guy kept trying to 'get close' to me. And when you combine that with that turtleneck thing he wears, well, let's just say I'd reached some conclusions."