When an athlete goes through a bad patch, the circumstances are unforgiving. Some have not had it so easy this year that they would undoubtedly have liked to move from 2022 to 2024.
Whether due to below-expected performance, injury or adverse circumstances, these five teams or athletes will have a variety of New Year's resolutions.
Several Canadian players
Photo Martin Chevalier
The Montreal Canadiens' busy infirmary has been a misfortune for most in recent years, with the exception of a few hopefuls who have had the opportunity to showcase themselves. Juraj Slafkovsky's first season in the National Hockey League (NHL) was difficult in many ways. Not only did it end after 39 games, it also raised several questions about the team's leadership. Was it too early to send the Slovakian against the best players in the world? Slafkovsky can only get better and 2024 could be the year he thrives.
The spring of 2023 was very productive for Kirby Dach and he seemed to be on the right track this season. However, the Albertan's season ended after just two games due to a knee injury. The young striker's recovery will take a long, very long time…
Jean Pascal
Photo Martin Chevalier
Jean Pascal never gives up and that is one of his greatest qualities. Finally, he became light heavyweight champion again in 2019 at the age of 38 and is confident he can win a belt in the near future. However, he missed a big chance to do so in March when the young Michael Eifert defeated him by unanimous decision. The German took the place of the mandatory challenger to the WBA monarch Artur Beterbiev, whom Pascal coveted.
The disappointment was great for the boxer from Quebec. However, he has set his sights on 2024 and is ignoring the skeptics, including his former coach Marc Ramsay, who has called for his resignation. He is also looking forward to his debut at light heavyweight.
Jonathan Huberdeau
Photo Martin Chevalier
Jonathan Huberdeau's first season in Calgary coincided with one of his worst seasons in his career. In 2022-2023, the Quebec forward scored 60 fewer points than the previous year, marking the largest decline ever recorded in the NHL. His start to the fall was also difficult, but a good November portends good results in 2024. Huberdeau reportedly didn't have a particularly good relationship with head coach Darryl Sutter, who has since been replaced by Ryan Huska. His 115-point season with the Florida Panthers already seems a long way off.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Martin Chevalier / JdeM
At the start of the season, Félix Auger-Aliassime was ranked sixth in the ATP rankings and all hopes were high for the young man who had just had a memorable end to 2022. All of this great progress was wiped out by a particularly difficult summer. The tennis player from Quebec has not won a single match on grass and only one on clay. He was also unable to achieve a victory between May 29th and August 14th.
One of his only celebratory moments in 2023 will be defending his title in Basel in October. In short: next year could hardly be worse for whoever fell out of the top 20 for the first time since June 2021.
San Jose Sharks
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If you thought the Canadian had a bad year in 2023, think again: there are worse things. The Sharks had an unforgettable 2022-2023 season with 22 wins, as many as CH in the previous season. What made this trip particularly painful was that the best members of the team had to leave. Erik Karlsson won the Norris Trophy before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Timo Meier was traded to the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline.
Experts didn't expect much from San Jose this fall, but it was even worse than expected. Defender Marc-Édouard Vlasic, once a club mainstay, is unrecognizable and the Sharks started the season with 11 consecutive defeats, including two in which they allowed more than 10 goals.