As an extreme cold snap hits Quebec, Canada goaltender Samuel Montembeault smiled at the idea of enjoying a pina colada on a beach in Mexico during the All-Star Game break.
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The 26-year-old from Quebec, who is one of the Montreal club’s great revelations this season, certainly hasn’t stolen those precious rest days.
“It gives me time to pull myself together and get some sun,” he remarked, specifying that the trip to Mexican soil was planned with his girlfriend, but also with defender David Savard and his wife.
“I’ve been playing a lot of hockey lately with Jake’s injury [Allen], Montembeault rightly noted, he who has featured in nine of the Habs’ last 11 games by default. It will be good to relax your legs by not touching the ice for a few days. It’s also good to be able to get away from hockey. We’re here all the time just thinking about it. It will be good to put your head elsewhere and enjoy the moment. »
“Very happy”
If he wants to rest a bit, Montembeault certainly won’t complain about being used so much in the last month.
“I was happy to have multiple games in a row and see so much action,” he also hinted. It hadn’t happened to me in a long time, possibly since I was a junior in the Armada. »
The goalkeeper from Sainte-Gertrude, near Bécancour, took part in 10 games in January. Specifically, he played four games in six days between January 12 and 17, blocking 138 of the 145 pucks he faced.
The Canadian capitalized on Montembeault’s .952 save rate during that period and notched three wins [sur quatre]against the Nashville Predators, the New York Rangers and the Winnipeg Jets.
” I’m very happy. I think things have been going well since the start of the season. I worked hard last summer and we continue to do that with the goalkeeping coach [Éric Raymond]. I’m happy with the progress and it’s important to continue on this path. »
A busy return
Montembeault, who is 10-10-2, will look to build on his momentum when he returns from Mexico. The CH will play two games in as many days after the Star Break and have a date at the Bell Center on February 11 with the New York Islanders and the next day with the Edmonton Oilers.
“When we come back we have two games in a row and I expect I might play one of those two,” he predicted. In fact, on February 14, Valentine’s Day, the Canadian will even play a third game in four days at the Bell Center against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The captain on the beach
Photo from Instagram
Proud representative of Canada at the Stars’ Weekend in Sunrise, Fla. Nick Suzuki took the opportunity to stop by the beach for a moment. Chantal Machabée, the Habs’ vice president of hockey communications, shared a photo on her Instagram account showing the captain comfortably seated on a towel in his team’s colors. Some of Suzuki’s team-mates will also be enjoying a holiday in the sun. Quebec defender Mike Matheson planned to go to the Sunshine State to rest while youngsters Arber Xhekaj and Juraj Slafkovsky opted for Mexico, as did Samuel Montembeault and David Savard.
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