Anxiety chooses neither its times nor its places to manifest itself. On January 9, in the middle of an airport, Vincent Desharnais was able to testify to this.
The Quebec defender had just been recalled by the Edmonton Oilers, thus obtaining, at 26, his first real try in the NHL.
He had literally been waiting for this moment for years. Nevertheless, an inexorable impression invaded him. A feeling that he knew too well, but that he never missed.
“I had a wave of anxiety like it happened to me two years ago,” the young man told The Press in a telephone interview.
“Am I capable of doing this? he wondered. It’s intense, it’s happening there! »
The episode only lasted “a little two or three minutes”. The time that Desharnais refocuses, breathes. “I’ve been working mentally for situations like this for three years,” he said to himself. I have all the necessary tools. »
The wave suddenly broke and never came back. The 6’6″ colossus jumped on the plane and joined the Oilers in Anaheim, where he played the first game of his career the next day.
Athletes who have “come back from afar” are so numerous that the concept is almost hackneyed. Vincent Desharnais, however, ticks all the boxes.
Two years in a row, he waited until the end of the NHL Draft without hearing his name. On his third attempt, in 2016, he was finally selected, but in the distant seventh round. However, with three more university seasons ahead of him at Providence College, time was not pressing.
When he entered the pros, it was an American League contract that awaited him, with referrals to the ECHL that went with it. At the end of this agreement, still no call from the foot of the Oilers. New contract, therefore, with the school club of Bakersfield, California.
Desharnais has already spoken about it in various forums: these years were very difficult for him. Injuries, anxiety, depression… The temptation to let go of everything presented itself, but he didn’t give in. His relatives and his team helped him. He started breathing exercises and meditation. He read, he wrote.
He managed to focus his attention on the one day ahead of him and enjoy it. “To get up every morning, put a smile on my face; just be happy and grateful for what I’m going through,” he says.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m in the American League or in the NHL, whether I’m injured or healthy, I realize how lucky I am to live what I’m going through. I stopped comparing myself to others. Ultimately, we decide our mood, every day. Sometimes it’s more difficult, but you have to decode how you feel and put it into perspective. »
180 degrees
This rebirth, he lived it in his personal life, but it was transported to the arena. Developed as a defensive-minded defenseman since high school, he exploded with 27 points in 66 games at Bakersfield in 2021-22.
Last March, he put his signature on the bottom of a first NHL contract. And about ten days ago, there was this recall.
“My life has changed 180 degrees! “, he launched, still feverish, during the interview carried out after his first three games in the team of Connor McDavid – and this, even if the duel against the Golden Knights of Vegas had earned him a nose broken.
People ask me how you’re doing, and my answer is literally that I’m living the dream. Even in my biggest fantasies, I never thought my beginnings would look like this. It’s really a pretty incredible week that I have just experienced. Everything went well.
Vincent Desharnais
His new teammates welcomed him as one of their own. His parents and brother were able to arrive in time to watch his first game. People he hadn’t met “for years” wrote to him. And he got his first point, an assist, in his second game.
“The dose of love I received… It’s cool to see. I’m really grateful. »
Given the Oilers’ relatively healthy defensive squad, Desharnais’ recall wasn’t meant to fill a void. Management really wanted to see what the Laval resident has in his stomach. We therefore integrated him into a formation of 11 attackers and 7 defenders, which the club often employs, moreover, and which the Quebecer had also tamed in the American League under the orders of Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson, who are today today behind the bench of the big club.
“We could have played with 10 defenders, that would have been okay,” says Desharnais with a laugh. I’m just happy that they trust me, that they give me experience. Even though there were seven defensemen and my ice time was not that high, I was still able to play in important moments. »
In Vegas last Saturday, he found himself on the ice with less than two minutes to go as his team tried to protect a one-goal lead. He was inserted into the usual rotation shorthanded.
He tames the level of play, impressed by the quality of execution of the players around him: “They are always in the right place, the stick on the ice, and they want the puck. »
He savors every moment, even those spent on the bench during the power play, watching Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl work their magic: “The puck moves like a tabarouette! »
He admits that he has “no idea” what the short term future holds. At the time of concluding the interview, he was “looking forward” to training. Tuesday night, he got his fourth audition, against the Seattle Kraken.
He’s been tackling the days one at a time for years; no question of changing anything in this regard. The momentary angst of the encore quickly gave way to “excitement and joy.” Can’t wait to “get on the ice and live this experience”.
And that’s exactly what it does. Without restraint.