The Quebecers from the Montreal Canadiens were on the set of Tout le monde en parole on Sunday.
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Head coach Martin St-Louis was accompanied by Raphaël Harvey-Pinard, Michael Matheson, David Savard and Samuel Montembault.
From the start, Guy A. Lepage asked Saint-Louis what he thought of the observers who placed his team at the bottom of the rankings. We quickly realized that it didn’t bother us.
“I approach my team with my life experience. What people say is noise and we put our headphones on. We remain focused on the process.”
Veteran Michael Matheson added, echoing his boss’s words.
“It’s motivating to hear that if you don’t have group goals, you’re not doing the right job.”
Pressure
Since they were Quebecers on the Bleu-blanc-rouge set, it was a great opportunity to talk about the pressure that comes with the Montreal jersey.
“It depends on the individual and their personality, there is not the same answer for everyone,” St-Louis said.
“Quebecians are very proud. Playing a game in Montreal on Saturday night is satisfying. There is no player who would say that the pressure from outside is stronger than the pressure from within. These players are proud.”
Once again, Matheson reiterated his coach’s words.
“When I played in Florida, there’s pressure, it doesn’t make a difference.”
As for Raphaël Harvey-Pinard, he was clear when MC Gilles asked him what he would do if he were a free agent and he had to choose.
“For a small difference in money, I would definitely stay in Montreal.”
Martin St-Louis had good words for his players. Screenshot
In one word
Guy A. Lepage had a bit of fun when he asked St-Louis to define his four players in one word. The Laval resident chose more than one word, but was polite. He said Savard was the ultimate teammate. For Montembault, he mentioned that he is very calm, while Harvey-Pinard is a Swiss army knife because he “does everything.” Finally, he said of Matheson that he was definitely the number one draft pick on the break when he was younger.
The host then passed the question back to the players, who were talking about St-Louis.
Raphaël Harvey-Pinard called him dynamic and Mike Matheson spoke of his passion. David Savard said the same thing, adding that he was leading the way with his style of play and that it showed in training. “Sometimes we get the impression that he would like to do the exercise with us.”
Finally, Samuel Montembault praised his openness and the quality of his communication.
“He’s easy to get to, his door is always open and he’s easy to talk to.”