Due to the carnage that has weakened the Canadiens’ troops over the past two seasons, no one fell out of their seats when they learned of the layoffs of Graham Ryndbend and Donald Balmforth. Nobody but the players.
“It surprised me. Yes, I knew Kent (Hughes) and Gorts (Jeff Gorton) looked like this because of all the injuries. But I always thought they were doing a good job,” said Nick Suzuki.
It has to be said that when a team’s players miss more than 600 games in two consecutive seasons, the heads of the chief sports therapist and chief physiotherapist may roll, as in this case.
“Injuries are not just their fault. Hockey is a contact sport. We were unlucky on that side,” defended Samuel Montembeault, but met on Wednesday during a promotion on the sidelines of the Canadian Grand Prix.
“These are people who were appreciated in the dressing room. They were always in a good mood. These are not easy decisions,” he added.
Injured for three months
Montembeault himself had a difficult time towards the end of the 2021/22 season due to injury. He played for three months despite a torn tendon in his right wrist.
His stats suffered. Especially in late January when he conceded 11 goals from 27 shots in three games.
At the end of the season he had to undergo surgery.
“We knew it had torn and it couldn’t get any worse. Every day there is a follow-up check, the goalkeeper claimed. If it had been too painful, we would have stopped.
“Me, it was good with them. When I got hurt, I was told exactly what the plan was. “I had a good follow-up,” he continued. We had seen the doctors with them. Even after the operation we wrote to each other in the summer.
hours upon hours
A true Canadian Iron Man, Suzuki has competed in all 291 Canadian games since joining the team in 2019. So he didn’t necessarily have to deal with Ryndbend and Balmforth except to heal a few minor wounds.
He had only good words, especially for Ryndbend who had been with the organization for 19 years.
“He was always the first to come and one of the last to leave. It took many hours. He did a job behind the scenes that few people see, especially during the COVID-19 period due to the many protocols we had to follow,” the Canadiens captain explained.
It will now be interesting to see what impact the addition of new healthcare professionals to the team will have. Will we see an improvement? Otherwise you may have to look higher.