(Buffalo) Michael Hage had a certain idea of what awaited him in the KeyBank Center dressing room where the Canadian was conducting his interviews. After all, the word is starting to get around. For several years now, Montreal has systematically asked players to name what animal they are on and off the ice.
But Hage, an Ontarian with Quebec roots who plays for the Chicago Steel, didn’t expect this.
“The psychologist gave me a role play,” Hage said in an interview with The Press Friday. We’re at the hotel, we’re playing at Madison Square Garden the next day. Your roommate decides to go out at 11 p.m. and comes home at 3 a.m. The next day, Martin St-Louis asks you if it’s true that your roommate came home at 3 a.m. »
Hage thought.
– I am not denouncing him.
– So you don’t want to get rid of the guys who don’t want to win?, said one of the CH hockey people in the room.
– He’s my teammate, I’ll probably talk to him to get him back on the right path. But if he doesn’t change, maybe my answer will change.
Hage seemed rather proud of his achievement as he told us the story. “I think they liked my answer. If you say when you leave that you’re reporting your teammate, they’ll accuse you of being a mole. »
The Dr Dave Scott, psychology consultant, has been known for several years for questions like the ones the Habs interview at the NHL evaluation camp, which was held again this year in Buffalo. The players surveyed did not mention him by name, but all mentioned the “doctor” or “psychologist” in the room.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The Canadiens’ director of amateur recruiting, Martin Lapointe
Moreover, the members of the CH staff who attended the interviews varied from one player to another. Martin Lapointe, director of amateur recruitment, was systematically named as being present in the room. Some recognized Nick Bobrov, co-director of amateur recruiting. Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton? It all depends on the time of the week, since they left town mid-week. John Sedgwick, Deputy Director General, also attended these meetings. This list is obviously not exhaustive.
A fictional battle with Xhekaj
PHOTO GUILLAUME LEFRANÇOIS, THE PRESS
Sacha Boisvert
Sacha Boisvert was also treated to a fictional scenario.
“At the beginning, the questions focused on your family,” says the Trois-Rivières resident, perceived as a possible choice of 1er tour this year. Then, Mr. Lapointe gave me a role-play with Arber Xhekaj. It was in practice, you have five puck battles against him, and you win the first four. He comes to you and says: let me win the fifth. »
– I’m a competitor, there’s no chance I’ll let him win, replied Boisvert.
– OK, the next day, you have a match against him. What do you think he does?
– He asks me to fight.
– What are you saying ?
– I have no choice but to fight him, it doesn’t bother me!
Boisvert, renowned for his love of the rough game, therefore offered an answer that went hand in hand with the kind of player he is. “Then the other guy in the room was bullying me, looking at me with this intense look to see if I was going to break down. I kept my game face.
“They were trying to be tough, to intimidate. I liked it, it was a different challenge from the other teams,” continued the young man.
AJ Spellacy, an American member of the Windsor Spitfires, says that it was Martin Lapointe who mainly conducted his interview. But “the psychologist”, in his words, also intervened.
He asked me: you are in a plane and the pilot asks you if you prefer that he make a successful landing or that he do his best. I said if he does his best, he’ll make the landing. That’s why he’s the pilot!
AJ Spellacy
No one seemed unduly traumatized by the exercise, although several players seemed to enjoy the experience. Several of these prospects were interviewed by more than 20 teams; Michael Hage met 31. In these circumstances, these players do not say no to a bit of variety.
“It stood out from the other teams and it was pleasant,” said Sam Dickinson, one of the most prominent defenders of the 2024 vintage. “They are good at seeing how you react to pressure and if you are going to change your response. »
Berkly Catton, an attacker expected in the top 10, believes that it is above all “by asking yourself why” that the Habs stand out. “It’s easy to give an answer, but not to justify it. How do we know you’re telling the truth? I really liked this interview. »
Artyom Levshunov, a Belarusian with a very strong personality, used fire against fire. “After one of my answers, they asked me to justify myself and I said: what do you think? » This may explain why one of the members of the Montreal staff described him to us as being “quite a character”.
Ultimately, these interviews conducted by the CH are only one element of the complex evaluation process that will lead to the draft in three weeks. The work done by the recruiters during the season and the interviews with the youth coaches obviously count for a lot.
The physical tests that the hopefuls underwent on Saturday provide another element. Lapointe, Bobrov, Billy Ryan (director of player evaluation and amateur scout) and Dale Lablans (strength coach) were seen at the venue.
Avalanche games
That said, Montreal did not have a monopoly on unusual questions.
The Colorado Avalanche interviews also received attention. For several years, the former Nordiques have distinguished themselves by inviting the hopefuls to participate in games throughout the meeting.
Spencer Gill, for example, was invited to a game where the goal was to shoot mini pucks with a rubber band. “You can choose who you play against from their staff and they show a ranking. I chose to face the leader. And you have to play for one person, so I chose the last one,” described the New Brunswicker, defender of the Rimouski Océanic.
The Avalanche also tried to corner Gill, asking him how he would go about facing Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, but more importantly, what he would say to veteran Andrew Cogliano to help him improve. “I just said I could help him by pushing him in practice. He has been playing in the league for 16 years. I’m not going to give him stuff! Just pushing it is the best answer. »
Two prospects brought back a question from the Predators: If you were in the military, would you be a pilot, paramedic or sniper?
Finally, Zayne Parekh was asked what his passenger rating was on the Uber app. Good prince, he did not want to identify the team, but it seems that the question came from Utah.