“That's where the dream began for me,” admitted Cayden Primeau about Philadelphia, where the Montreal Canadiens' young goalkeeper will be sent in front of the net against the Flyers on Wednesday evening.
The creation of the terrible Gritty mascot dates back to 2018. The situation will undoubtedly have given the child more dreams than nightmares at the time.
Regardless, Cayden was less than six months old when his father, Keith, was traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Flyers for Rod Brind'Amour on January 23, 2000. The father, who later became captain in Philadelphia, played his last game there in 2005. He was forced to give up his career due to symptoms related to a concussion.
Nevertheless, the Flyers remained the Primeau family's favorite team. Cayden and his big brother Chayse, a forward like his father, also played together at junior level with the Philadelphia Revolution. Cayden was only 16 years old at the time. It goes to the core of his precious memories.
“When you have a goalkeeper and a striker in the same family, there are some arguments, but mostly a lot of fun,” Cayden noted.
A 3e Start against the Flyers
After Wednesday's game, the 24-year-old goalie will have played three times against the Flyers. That's more starts than against any other team in the NHL. On March 28th, the young Primeau had the opportunity to play his first game in Philadelphia, where the CH lost 3-2. Unfortunately, this result officially eliminated the Habs from the race for the series.
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“I think it’s a coincidence,” head coach Martin St-Louis said of Primeau’s frequent use in Philadelphia. Personally, the first game I played in Montreal I was excited and nervous, but after that you get used to it. The same goes for Cayden.”
“I want to give the team the best possible chance to win and not get carried away by emotions,” Primeau said after Tuesday’s practice in Brossard.
In front of family and friends
Earlier in his career, on December 16, 2021 in Montreal, Primeau shined against the Flyers, stopping 37 of the 39 pucks aimed at him in a 3-2 win for CH.
Martin Chevalier / JdeM
“Every time we play a game in the NHL it is special, but for me to go back to where the dream began is even more,” Primeau added. This is the team I followed as a child. It’s meaningful and special to be able to play in front of friends and family.”
Although he was very young when his father hung up his skates, Cayden specifically remembers occasionally visiting the Flyers' locker room and “wreaking havoc” with Chayse in the women's room.
The threesome
As for Primeau's future in Montreal, we know that Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has suggested that the team's menage a trois in front of the net might as well continue until the end of this season.
“I'm in the NHL, I can't complain,” Primeau simply responded to this topic. Like I said, of course you want to play as much as possible, but I’m taking it day by day and I’ll be ready when my name is called.”
Apart from the goalkeeper, no other changes are planned to the Canadian's formation, which was used in the recent win against the New York Rangers last Saturday in Montreal.
Harvey-Pinard will have to wait
Although he has been training with his teammates since the beginning of the week, Quebec forward Rafaël Harvey-Pinard will still have to wait a bit before he can return to the game.
Harvey-Pinard has been out since mid-November with a lower-body injury.
Before he was on the sidelines, the Quebecer had collected four assists in 13 games. He will be looking for his first goal of the season on his return to action after impressing with 14 goals in 34 games last season.
– The Canadian placed defenseman Gustav Lindstrom's name on waivers on Tuesday with the aim of demoting him to the Laval Rocket of the American League.