For one last time before the start of phase 3, the Habs made Claude Julien available to the media yesterday and here’s my breakdown of what he had to say. Clearly, the Habs pilot is looking forward to getting his team back together but he does mention that he will feel better once everyone in the group has tested negative. He trusts his players and knows that they are being diligent about health and safety and once they return to Montreal, they will be asked to do their best to train, practice and then isolate so as to not contract Covid-19. Of course, the team will do everything it possibly can to make it as easy as possible for them for instance if they need someone to get their groceries, that can be arranged.
From a personal standpoint, the coach is being careful, he wears a masks when he goes out and says that the key is that everyone collaborates to ensure that we all stay safe. He’s looking forward to the play-in and has full confidence in the NHL and that it will take all appropriate measures to make things safe for the players, the staff and everyone involved. He did say in a previous interview that he would pull out if he didn’t feel safe but he adds that this would be in an extreme situation and he doesn’t see it happening. As for coaching with a mask, if it has to be done, he will do it. This will not be forever but for now, everyone must be open minded and do their very best to ensure that everyone can stay safe.
When asked about the possibility that the players could return to the Olympics he states that even though the players grow up dreaming of winning the Staley Cup and not an Olympic medal, it’s still an incredible feeling to do so. He can see both sides of the coin here, he understands the owners’ concern as they risk losing key players to injuries and not have them with their team for the rest of the season but he also gets the players’ desire to be able to compete in that kind of tournament. And of course, he states that the fans love to see that caliber of hockey being played.
On the match-up with the Penguins, he says that surprises do happen in the playoffs and that all the team can do is prepare as best as it can and play like they know they can play. While post season hockey is different, the Habs do normally play well against Pittsburgh and anything can happen. He acknowledges that it’s a bit weird to have that much time to prepare for a playoffs match-up but says that there is such a thing as too much information. It’s the coaches’ job to sift through what they know about the opponent and feed the players the information they need to win without overloading them and essentially slowing them down. While a lot of players are not in Montreal training right now, they are still training from home wherever they are. They have been able to do on ice training and that is key to the conditioning issue so when the team does start training in Montreal, he doesn’t expect them to be any less ready than the teams who have had more players in town for phase 2.
While this will be a special way to return to play being thrown right in the deep end, it will be the same for every single team and it’s an opportunity to do great things. He doesn’t know for sure yet whether or not Romanov will be eligible to play, there have been rumours that he wouldn’t be but there hasn’t been any official confirmation on way or the other. As for Kotkaniemi, it’s great that he’s now healed an ready to play but it’s hard to predict who will play and who won’t at this stage since the players have the possibility to opt in or opt out for whatever reason. Once he knows who’s available, he’ll be able to answer that kind of questions. For him, the best thing about this tournament is the possibility for his young players to gain so much experience but he still intends to win, he’s not going with a “let’s just get experience approach”. Does this mean he’ll use his veterans more than his rookies? Julien says that it’s a balancing act, it doesn’t mean that he will sit his rookies but he will put the best players to win on the ice whether they are old or young. That’s the kind of tough decision a coach has to make but he adds that it’s really important to show your players that you have confidence, that you believe in them, that is one of the keys to winning. He believes that the break will have been beneficial to his team since it plays a high tempo game and the players will now be rested. However, had he had a crystal ball and known this would have happened, there are some players he wouldn’t have wanted to see traded at the deadline (Kovalchuk and Thompson come to mind for me but this is were Jake Evans can show how ready he is to step into uncle Nate’s on ice role). As for how life in a hub city will be, he acknowledges that it will be different but says that with so much focus on hockey, on training, team meals and other activities they’ll plan, there won’t be that much free time and the players won’t feel lonely.
As for the draft lottery, he doesn’t shy away from saying that the result does make things interesting and that 8 teams are probably salivating right now. Lafrenière is a special player but when all is said and done, even if you lose in the play-in round, you still have more chances of not getting him than you do of drafting first. He would love to have that player but there are no guarantee and while he understands why some fans hope the Habs lose and draft him, he says that he wonders how those same fans will react if they lose and do not get to pick him. For the coach, the only way to truly move forward for this team is to win and that is what he intends to do.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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