Rarely is there nearly as much interest in the Rocket in the American League as there is in the Montreal Canadiens, given all the young people who will be playing in Laval this year.
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The Canadiens’ farm club begins its seventh season by hosting the Abbotsford Canucks on Friday night.
“People believe in us a little more, so there is more pressure, but at the same time we are so young that we have to take it one game at a time because the season is so long,” emphasizes captain Gabriel Bourque.
“There is no other team in the American League that will experience something like this, we are truly blessed. The guys that have only played here don’t understand that it’s not the same in other organizations.”
Let’s say a crowded Place Bell has to be more welcoming than a game in Springfield or Utica. However, some teams, including the Flames and Maple Leafs, also have their farm club in their backyard.
patience
With a young team, mistakes can happen and head coach Jean-François Houle is ready to deal with them.
“You have to be a little patient, but we want to develop in a successful environment. It’s important to show young people how to win and yes, we want to make the playoffs, but without skipping any steps.”
“We want to be sure that we are developing properly. Sometimes when we have to send a young player into an important faceoff and we lose the game, at least the young player has learned from it and can develop further.
Even though youth predominates on the team, Houle believes there are enough veterans to mentor all of these wonderful people.
“We don’t want to sacrifice development for wins, but the young players are being supported pretty well, we should be decent and competitive.”
Brandon Gignac Thierry Laforce / QMI Agency
talent
Houle will have big problems in the first few games of the season as he has four attackers and seven defenders in his squad.
“These are heartbreaking decisions. “Some guys won’t play tomorrow even if they deserve it, and we’ll try to sign them later,” he said, indicating that Jakub Dobes would be his starting goalie against Abbotsford.
This flood of young talent will also force some veterans to rethink their goals. Such is the case with 25-year-old Brandon Gignac, who put up 33 points in 49 games in his second season with the Rockets last year.
“I came here with the mentality of helping the team win, regardless of my role. There are so many talented players this year that I may have to play a little more defensively at the start of the season, and I’m proud of that role because I consider myself a capable player who can play in all three zones.”