The Canadiens have made it clear that they are worried about allegations that three of their players have been socializing with a man recently arrested on drug charges. La Presse reported on Friday that Andrei Kostitsyn and Sergei Kostitsyn had social ties with Pasquale Mangiola, who was arrested Feb. 12. "We're very concerned," Montreal general manager Bob Gainey said. "We're very concerned because we know that this person who became involved with these players, he's not the only person who wants to find a place to enter the inner area of the hockey team." La Presse said none of the three players is suspected of any criminal activity.

NHL officials will meet with police in Montreal following reports linking three Canadiens players with an organized crime investigation, according to a published report Friday. La Presse, a French newspaper, reported that Pasquale Mangiola, who is facing weapons and drug charges, is close to the Kostitsyn brothers, Andrei and Sergei. The paper mentioned Roman Hamrlik as also being linked to Mangiola, who is alleged to have acted as an intermediary between a number of rival criminal gangs in Montreal. However, the paper added that the players are not suspected of any criminal activity.