When Michael Cammalleri scored his second goal of the game to tie it 2-2 in the second period of the Montreal Canadiens' 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night, it was followed by a television timeout.
Bell Centre public address announcer Michel Lacroix announced that Cammalleri scored his 11th of the post-season and the sellout crowd of 21,273 erupted into an ovation that is at least comparable to other memorable ones this building has seen in recent years - Saku Koivu's dramatic return from cancer being the most vivid of them.
Lacroix, seeing how the crowd's reaction was building, remained silent. He didn't announce that Andrei Kostitsyn and Roman Hamrlik drew assists on the play.
He didn't say another word.
He simply waited in silence, allowing the ovation to build and build until it was on overflow mode by the time the commercial break had ended and the legions of fans watching at home were given the opportunity to witness this special scene.
During the second intermission, Lacroix was walking up to the press lounge to grab something to drink and he was asked if that little pause was planned.
"No," Lacroix said. "But it was worth it."
