Jakob Pelletier lived a dream last Saturday, playing his first game in the NHL and didn’t let coach Darryl Sutter’s controversial comments after the game spoil this special moment for his family.
• Also read: A small baptism of fire for Jakob Pelletier
Additionally, Sutter’s statement after the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to shock almost everyone more than Pelletier himself.
Reached by the Journal late Sunday afternoon, the Quebec winger politely refused to elaborate on the Flames head coach’s words, merely mentioning that it had made him “neither hot nor cold” and that he had been surprised by the extent be that they embraced social media.
“I saw him this morning [Sutter] and he told me that I played a good game and that it was flat that we were shorthanded so many times because it cost me Ice Age. He told me that despite my playing time, he liked what I brought,” said the Flames first-round pick in 2019, who spent 6:50 on the ice for his NHL baptism of fire against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“It went well”
If he answered the question about Sutter, it was because it was put to him by the writer of these lines. Isn’t that the most important thing in the story for Pelletier?
Most importantly, he finally got his first big league chance and was feeling pretty good.
“I was pretty stressed but after my first performance I realized it’s still the same sport. Of course it’s faster and the boys are bigger, but it’s the same game. The most important thing was to trust me and I think it went well. »
Before his first game, Pelletier had spent two weeks with the Flames watching the first six games of his recall in the stands. An experience that ends up being beneficial.
“In the last year and a half practicing with them, I could see that I can play with these guys,” he says.
Pelletier could get his second NHL game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.