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During the middle of the third period of the Montreal Canadiens game vs. the Boston Bruins at the TD BankNorth Garden, TSN commentators reported that forward Michael Cammalleri was traded.

He was noticeably absent from the period and made no shots in the middle frame.

After the game, TSN confirmed that he was traded to the Calgary Flames.

Just recently, Cammalleri was very vocal about the state of the Habs and this seemed to not sit well with GM Pierre Gauthier.

When speaking with TSN, he was clear on his frustration: “I can’t accept that we will display a losing attitude as we’re doing this year. We prepare for our games like losers. We play like losers. So it’s no wonder why we lose.”

It looks like the left winger will be playing back in Cowtown. Calgary will also get goalie Karri Ramo and a fifth-round draft pick.

In return, Montreal will be getting Rene Bourque , Patrick Holland and a second-round pick in 2013 will be heading to Montreal. More expected to go to Hab Nation.

Never in my memory of hockey trades have I heard of a trade occuring in the middle of a game.

Maybe the Guathier and the Molson families pulled the trigger too soon.

This message can be both deflating and uplifting. It looks like the upper management and ownership did not like what transpired, and feel that they had to do something to shake things up.

Cammalleri told TSN that he was told he was traded and that he was to go back to the hotel for the details.

Contrary to popular belief, Guathier was in the works for a trade for about a month according to Cammalleri after having their one on one regarding the trade news and that probably explained Gauthier's pacing around in the Garden Suite upstairs.

Gauthier also stated that he knew changes had to be made to get this team back on track.

"We need to score the hard goals...not the fancy goals...Bourque scores most of his goals from the hard areas." Gauthier said to the presser. "If you look at last two years, Cammalleri and Bourque have very similar goals per game and pts per game."

Gauthier is right. The finesse and skill is there in Montreal, but the grit is lacking compared to other teams like Boston and Philadelphia, who carry grit and skill in the same game.

Cammalleri's take on the trade was a bitter sweet one. He was clear that the conversation was amicable and that they are big boys, completely understanding the business of the game and that changes had to be made.

While he loved living and playing in Montreal, he was excited to be playing in a town he considered home before coming to Montreal. That and they are only four points out of a playoff spot

His parting word to Montreal fans; Merci.

This is Cory Ducey saying "Hit Hard, But Keep It Clean".