Today's Quotes (Canadiens)

While this pandemic has truly been a pain for everyone, it is possible to find some good things that came from it (you have to really want to see them). For instance, now that the reporters are not allowed to be physically in Brossard to ask their questions, we get to see the full Zoom call during which they ask their questions. Today, the Habs made Gallagher, Juulsen, Kotkaniemi and Julien available to the medias and here's what I took away from those calls.

Brendan Gallagher

Today, the Canadiens practiced in two separate groups for unknown reasons and this prompted a journalist to ask Gally how the team felt when some players dropped out of practice unexpectedly. In short, he said that there's absolutely no point worrying about that since it's not something that he can control. Nothing surprising about that answer, let's face it, the assistant captain is always all about taking care of business whatever the situation is. One of the reporters, noticing that Gallagher has got quite the flow going right now, asked if an haircut was in the cards for number 11. This prompted a small laugh from Gallagher who said that he had cancelled his appointment shortly before the pandemic and that since then, well, it wasn't really the best idea to go to the hairdressers and that he was just going to rock the new hairstyle until the Habs were "out of this thing, whenever that it". When asked about Jesperi Kotkaniemi he said that confidence is so important for him right now and that he has to find a way to always believe in himself. Clearly, he felt important in Laval and the staff had done great work with him down there.

On what is different from the usual routine in Brossard, Gallagher stated that there was a lot less hanging around. Now it's all about practicing, taking off your gear and taking off as soon as possible. In the past, the guys would hang around and chat, have lunch together...Nowadays, they go down to the garage, grab the packed lunch that was prepared for them and just head to the respective home. What does Gallagher think is essential to bring in the bubble when the time comes? Not much, turns out he is and has always been a light packer, he said that the one thing he always has is a deck of cards but as for killing time in the bubble, if there is a TV in his room, he'll be fine. Besides, he expects the league and the team will ensure that they don't go out of their mind with boredom in there.

Finally, he's very happy with the opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup and believes everyone is. After all, this is what they play for and whether it's your first or last year in the league, everyone is aware of how hard it is to win the Stanley Cup and that you've got to make the most of every opportunity. While the bookies aren't exactly saying the Habs have a chance, Gallagher says that it's important to stay motivated and keep believing in themselves and in the fact that it is possible.

Noah Juulsen

Juulsen's had a very hard year and a half but he says that he's now feeling good and confident, he doesn't wake up in the morning wondering if the post concussion symptoms will return. Having the chance to play a game before the pandemic was huge for him and for his confidence, it gave him a boost and allows him to be confident now. He's not talked to the coaches yet to know if he's got a shot at cracking the top 6 on the blue line and says that for now, what he has to do is put in the work and see what happens.

On his recent injury struggles he says that the worst thing was to be fine for like 3 weeks and then one morning, out of nowhere, not be. Still, he says that the coaching staff in Laval and the therapists that he spoke to made it so much easier for him. A journalist then tried to ask him if at any point he thought this might be it for his career but the language barrier got in the way there still, Juulsen stated that he's still only just 23 and that he's got to put in the work and hope for the best.

On how he finds the phase 3 routine, he says that there's a whole lot of nothing going on in his free time and that he's basically killing time until he has to go back to the rink. He watches movies, plays on his phone and even does a bit of cooking even though that's kind of hard right now since he cannot go get his own groceries right now and they all have to get everything delivered.

For him, the main area to improve to his game so that he can get to play is to be sharp and staying engaged out there. He says that he's confident he could crack the line-up but it depends how the camp goes since there are a lot of good defensemen out there.... Now, now, I know most think our bottom pairing is going to be brutal but he couldn't exactly say that now could he?

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

First off, I feel the need to say that what we saw during that call was a whole new KK. Gone is that shiny perpetual smile now, he's just there doing his job and answering the questions. The former first round pick says that he's feeling pretty good out there is a little bit rusty but that's sure to get better shortly. When asked if he had the opportunity to skate in Finland during the pandemic, he said that he skated 4-5 times in the last 2 weeks before coming back.

A reporter than asked him if in hindsight, being sent back down to Laval was the best thing that could have happened to him and he had no hesitation saying it wasn't the best thing. He then added that he did have a good time down there though, that they had a good group of guys and that his time in the AHL allowed him to focus on the little things that could make him better.

The next question was about whether he was able to gain some perspective on the struggle that he experienced in his second season and he replied that he just tried to forget everything and reset things for the playoffs. That wasn't the most mature answer he could have given but that's still the one he provided. To be fair though, the media really seemed to want him to rehash the struggles he has in his sophomore year and he had no interest in doing that.

Finally, he said that his skating wasn't the best part of his game and that he has tried to work on that lately and even with his routine at the gym during the break, it was aimed at improving it. He's hoping that it will show in the future. As to what he thinks about Domi's absence and the opportunity it's giving him, he simply said that he was simply doing his job, that he hadn't talk to Domi and that he's just happy to be part of the team. He hopes to crack the line-up but if he doesn't, he'll deal with it.

Claude Julien

The head coach sang the praises of Suzuki's line today and said that he could see a bit of chemistry developing between Drouin, Suzuki and Armia. Those are 3 intelligent players that can make some great plays. He was then asked if he'd have to dismantle the line if Domi ended up playing and refused to answer. He simply said that if and when Domi joined the team, he would adjust accordingly but he gave no clue as to where he could potentially use him, whether it would be at centre or on the wing.

After speaking to Kotkaniemi, the media asked Julien if he had noticed how serious the young man had become and Julien said that he had indeed noticed a little change with him. For Julien, this is just a sign of maturity. While KK is still the excellent person he always was, he's now more serious when he hits the ice. The pilot added that this is perfectly normal, when a rookie gets to the NHL it's all fun and being proud of making it to the show but that eventually, the players realize that it's not an easy job and that you have to work hard.

The journalists also tried to find out why the Habs practiced in 2 groups today, but they didn't have much luck, Julien only said that sometimes you have to deal with what the circumstances throw at you. He couldn't say anything about the reason why Paul Byron, who has been skating in Brossard since the start of phase 2, wasn't on the ice today. He simply said that he was unable to take part and basically told the journalists to stop trying to get more information that he could only tell them what the league would allow him to and that is to say, not much.

The coach does plan to stage some scrimmage in the future numbers permitting and he said that next week, the emphasis would be put squarely on getting ready to take on the Pens.

There you have it, this is what jumped out at me today. It's really good to see Juulsen back and hear him say that he's now confident health wise. I'll admit that this new “smile less… Kotkaniemi was a bit weird and that he pretty much looked like he didn't want to be there... perhaps once the journalists let go of the struggles of his sophomore season, it might be different.

Show Comments
Loading...
Loading...
0
Show comments for this article