Habs Fans Are Shocked By Darren Raddysh's Stick Knob

Montreal Canadiens fans are known for their passion and their eagle eyes, but a viral moment from the latest playoff game has the entire r/Habs subreddit buzzing about something nobody expected: the enormous knob on Darren Raddysh's hockey stick. A Reddit user posted a photo snapped directly from their television screen, and the image quickly gained traction as fans expressed a mixture of disbelief and amusement at the sheer size of the stick's knob: the bulge of tape players wrap at the top of their stick shaft to prevent it from slipping out of their gloves.

The post, titled along the lines of "Am I the only one who was shocked by the knob of Raddysh's stick?", immediately drew dozens of reactions. One user commented, "What the f*** is that thing, it's the size of a tennis ball," while another wrote, "That knob is absolutely ridiculous, holy s***. How does he even hold that thing?" The thread quickly became one of the most entertaining discussions on the subreddit, with fans cracking jokes and debating whether such a massive knob could actually provide any competitive advantage or if it was simply a personal quirk of the defenseman.

Take a look for yourself:

Montreal Takes a Commanding 3-2 Series Lead

While Raddysh's stick was stealing attention online, the real story on the ice was just as dramatic. The Canadiens traveled to Tampa Bay's Benchmark International Arena for Game 5 and came away with a hard-fought 3-2 victory, giving them a crucial 3-2 lead in the first-round Eastern Conference series.

The game was a back-and-forth affair from the opening faceoff. Brendan Gallagher, who had been a healthy scratch for the first four games of the series, made an immediate impact by opening the scoring just three minutes into the first period, capitalizing on a relentless forecheck by Alex Newhook in front of the net to beat Andrei Vasilevskiy. Tampa Bay responded in the second period when Dominic James finished off a two-on-one rush with a precise shot that beat Jakub Dobes at the 6:49 mark. Montreal answered back in stunning fashion just eleven seconds later, as Kirby Dach weaved his way to the net and restored the Habs' lead despite Vasilevskiy's attempt to challenge him physically. Jake Guentzel then knotted things up at 2-2 later in the second, beating Dobes through the five-hole on another two-on-one opportunity.

The decisive moment came just 66 seconds into the third period. Alexandre Texier received a stretch pass from Lane Hutson, drove into the left faceoff circle, and unleashed a wrist shot that deflected off Vasilevskiy's glove and trickled into the net. From that point forward, the Canadiens locked things down defensively, with Dobes putting on a masterclass in the final frame — stopping all 17 shots he faced in the third period to finish with a remarkable 38 saves on the night. Vasilevskiy made 21 saves in a losing effort.

Tampa Bay Now Faces Elimination on Friday

One of the most striking storylines of the evening was the way Montreal's coaching staff deployed Philip Danault in the closing minutes. The veteran center stayed on the ice for the final three and a half minutes of the third period without a single line change, effectively serving as a one-man shutdown unit. Remarkably, that single shift was longer than Cole Caufield's entire ice time during the third period, which totaled just 3 minutes and 24 seconds a stark illustration of the defensive priorities that take over when protecting a one-goal lead in playoff hockey.

The series now shifts back to Montreal for Game 6 on Friday night at the Centre Bell, where the Canadiens will have the chance to eliminate Tampa Bay in front of their home crowd. After gutting out a road victory in such a tightly contested game, Montreal finds itself in a commanding position. However, with battle-tested veterans like Guentzel and Vasilevskiy leading the charge, the Lightning won't go quietly. Friday's game promises to be one of the most electric nights at the Centre Bell this season.