Eller regrets 'poor choice of words' after calling Oilers a 'junior team'
BROSSARD, Que. - Montreal Canadiens forward Lars Eller admitted he used a "poor choice of words" when he characterized the Edmonton Oilers as a junior team.
Eller spoke to reporters at Montreal's practice facility Wednesday a day after the Canadiens were beaten 4-3 at home by the Oilers.
Oilers coach Dallas Eakins thanked Eller after the game for motivating his players, saying he used excerpts from an interview where Eller said Edmonton sometimes "played like a junior team" that was "all over the place."
"When you have a player like Lars Eller running his mouth before the game, it makes for great banter in our dressing room and great motivation," Eakins said after Tuesday's game. "That is a total hockey god thing. I'm sure that young man has learned his lesson, and I highly doubt you'll see anything like that out of his mouth again."
While Eller regretted the comment, he said it was taken out of context from a longer piece in which he also said some positive things about Edmonton.
Asked what he though of Eakins' comments, Eller said he hadn't heard them.
"It wasn't my intention to be disrespectful against him or anybody else," he added. "You win some, you lose some, you learn from it."
