A tie, bath bubbles, a recipe book: we have all received this gift that was given with love but left us cold. A gift that we accepted with a smile and told ourselves, “It’s the intention that counts,” was a sentence that couldn’t be more apt than in that very moment.
• Also read: The Canadian players were light-hearted and dancing on their feet: “It will give us momentum for the time after Christmas”
• Also read: “It was one of the worst games since I’ve been here” – Auston Matthews
• Also read: Spengler Cup: Five Quebecers and three former CH players will represent the Maple Leaf
This is probably how the Canadiens players and management members reacted when they opened the gift.
Joel Armia:
Brother Andre's heart. This worked every day for 91 years.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Kirby roof:
Disability insurance. Broken wrist, sprained shoulder, mysterious lower body injury, torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial knee ligament. All of this in three years. Therefore, it is better to be well covered.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Nick Suzuki:
Steel toe boots. Considering how many times he's said since the start of the season that the team has shot itself in the foot, it's better to be cautious.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Josh Anderson:
A box of All-Bran cereal (or All-Brun as RBO called it). There is nothing better to regain regularity.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Samuel Montembeault:
The book Do You Really Need It? by Pierre-Yves McSween. With the contract extension increasing his annual salary from $1 million to $3.45 million, the Canadiens goaltender might be tempted to make crazy and unnecessary expenses.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Rafael Harvey Pinard:
Acoustic panels he was able to install around his locker in both the Bell Center locker room and the training complex. So reporters wouldn't just hear his voice on their tape recorder when they're across the room with another player.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Cole Caufield:
A mathematical geometry box set. In this box he can replace the compass that he seems to have lost in the summer. Given the season he had last year, we expected him to reach the 50-goal mark. He is approaching his twenties.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Brendan Gallagher:
Tubes with anti-inflammatory drugs. He appears in the opponent's goalkeeper zone every evening, with the consequences that entails. Double check, stick strike, glove in the face, headlock. It leaves pain. Especially at his age and with his injury history.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Johnathan Kovacevic:
A visit to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. In this dressing room, Kovacevic, an intelligent and cultured young man, will most likely correct Martin St-Louis when he uses the analogy of a Picasso to describe a game. A Monet would be more accurate.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Kaiden Guhle:
Great climbing shoes and mountaineering equipment. If we're going to assume he's going to be the Canadiens' next Shea Weber miner, we might as well equip him accordingly.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Jesse Ylonen:
Number 17, so Martin St-Louis gives him a real chance on one of the first two lines.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Juraj Slafkovsky:
A horseshoe, a four-leaf clover or a rabbit's foot. The Slovakian has been gaining self-confidence for some time now and is much more confident on his skates. But he lacks luck at the opposing net.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
David Savard:
Beard care products. The Canadian defender's is as full as Lanny McDonald's mustache in another era. Except she's shaggy sometimes. Not as much as Brent Burns, but still. Hair this beautiful deserves love.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Mike Matheson:
A gift voucher for Bota Bota or Scandinave. The two relaxation facilities are located in Old Montreal. With 25 minutes per game, he is the most used player in CH and one of the most used in the NHL. We have to take care of this body.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Jake Allen:
A collection of theories of quantum physics. This guy is way too brilliant to stay in the hockey world after his career.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Michael Pezzetta:
Receiving invitations just to exchange slaps must seem demoralizing. So why not an invitation card for a friend's birthday? Tom Wilson? Wayne Simmonds? Ryan Reaves? Please, people.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Cayden Primeau:
New goalkeeper equipment. His mitten has holes in it and his leggings are terrible.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Arber Xhekaj:
A sheriff star from the city of Montreal. The one in Laval is not bad, but less dazzling.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Jake Evans:
Two stable wingers. As the center of the fourth line, he is the one who has seen the most linemates alongside him. Roof and newhook injuries could be game-changing.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Jeff Gorton:
He is making progress in learning French, but his schedule limits the hours he can dedicate to it. A week all-inclusive with Mathieu Bock-Côté and David Goudreault would solve the problem. Over time he learned French. Maybe even a little too much.
Archive photo, Pierre-Paul Poulin
Kent Hughes:
Christmas is also a time for good deeds. For the Canadiens general manager, we can only hope that one of his colleagues has enough heart on their sleeve to release him from Joel Armia's contract.
Archive photo, Pierre-Paul Poulin
Martin St Louis:
Chairs… on the floor. In the event that his team does not take part in the playoffs. He could watch them from the comfort of the campfire.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Stéphane Robidas and Alex Burrows:
A set of Sharpie pens for each of them. And it's not about giving autographs. They need several to make their system understandable to the players they send into the mass and numerical attack.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
To the medical staff:
Orthopedic boots to replenish the inventory the team sold in 2023.
Archive photo, AFP
Patrick Langlois, Device Manager:
Krazy glue. The famous interchangeable skate blades are a real eye-catcher when it comes to sharpening them. However, they sometimes have the flaw that they come off the skate a little too easily.
Archive photo
Yay!:
A contract with Metal!, his dirty alter ego. It would be good for everyone.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier