http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/hockey/canadiensstory.html?id=19c631ab-70b5-40c4-ae7f-dae70020486b&k=97740

The veteran Canadiens defenceman is quietly enjoying a career season, although many fans might not realize it, because he's more steady than flashy


Craig Rivet is unrecognized as he makes his way through the aisles of a supermarket near his Nuns' Island home.

"I was getting the ingredients for my spaghetti and meatballs," explained the 31-year-old native of North Bay, Ont.

Rivet said he doesn't do a lot of cooking, but he took advantage of a warm spring afternoon to take some time away from hockey.

He took his kids to the park and then he propped his 31/2-year-old daughter Ella on a kitchen counter to help make the meatballs.

"It was pretty good," Rivet said when asked about the results of his culinary venture. "I took some over to Richard (Zednik) and he liked it."

During the season, hockey players have to grab domestic moments like this when they can. As much as Rivet treasures time spent with his family, he and his teammates are focused on prolonging what has already been a longer-than-usual regular season.

The Canadiens are battling to hold on to a playoff spot and one of the reasons for their success is the fact Rivet is as unrecognized on the ice as he is walking through a supermarket.

When a defenceman stands out, it's usually because he has made an error. Rivet has quietly put together a career season with the Canadiens, with six goals and a career-high 33 points.

He is part of what he describes as a good mix on a team that has yet to play its best hockey.

"If you look at this team, we have some veteran leaders and we have a lot of young players who are still learning how good they can be," Rivet said. "The important thing is that we've come together as a team and we've found our identity.

"We got off to a good start this season by playing the kind of hockey that we want to play. We want to be known as a team that has speed and skill, but also plays responsibly in our own end.

"I don't want to make excuses, but after we had that fantastic start, we had some injuries.We lost Saku (Koivu), (Alex) Kovalev and Marky (defenceman Andrei Markov). Those are the key players on our team. We lost Radek Bonk, who is such an important part of our penalty-killing. And the goaltending just wasn't consistent."

Those problems are in the past.

The Canadiens are relatively healthy, with Steve Begin and Francis Bouillon expected back if the Canadiens make the playoffs. Cristobal Huet has provided the team with steady goaltending.

And the young players have taken advantage of the opportunity to develop.

"You look around this room and see how the new guys have improved," Rivet said. "Look at Chris Higgins, who's developed into a goal-scorer. Mike Komisarek isn't the same player he was at the beginning of the season. Mark Streit has come along.

"And I think we have the right coaching staff for this group. Claude (Julien) was a good coach, but the group of coaches we have now have done a great job of making sure we're prepared for every game."

Rivet has done his part in a number of ways. For starters, he's one of only three Canadiens - Michael Ryder and Mathieu Dandenault are the others - who have played every game this season.

There have been some close calls, but Rivet has shrugged off the inevitable bumps and bruises and reported for work every night. Last week, the flu kept him out of a morning skate, but seven hours later, he was lined up on the blue line.

And while his 33 points represent a career high - his previous best was 25 in 2001-02 - he has curbed some of his offensive instincts since he was paired with Sheldon Souray midway through the season.

"I played with Marky for so many years that we knew each other's games so well," Rivet said. "I could be the fourth guy in on a rush or pinch in and I knew Marky was there to back me up."

Souray, who leads the Canadiens defencemen with 12 goals, is more of an offensive player and Rivet said he has had to change his game to be more responsible.

The result is that Rivet might not stand out as often for a flashy defensive play, but this is one veteran who has grown accustomed to not being recognized.


Craig Rivet (right) celebrates with Aaron Downey (left) and Steve Begin after a Canadiens goal in a recent game.