Canadian 0 – Senators 5 | The beautiful story

The twenty people massed in an anonymous corner of the arena did not care that the Canadian had just been beaten by the 5-0 score by the Ottawa Senators.

The loud applause they reserved for their favorite player concluded the “strange 24 hours” that Owen Beck had just experienced. The smiles were frank. The hugs, long and felt. And it was completely deserved.

Eighteen-year-old Beck found himself in a situation that almost never happens. That of a player urgently recalled from the junior ranks to join the NHL without real notice or preparation. Let’s insist on the specificity of the moment: a first match “upstairs”, in the overwhelming majority of cases, comes either at the end of a long training camp, or after a stint in the American League.

Beck, he was doing his little business in Peterborough, where he was also acclimatizing to a new team, since he was traded to the Petes of the place there are barely three weeks. A strange conjunction of the stars caused his unexpected recall. Let’s review the circumstances that have accumulated, as explained by the Canadian:

• Friday’s late recall made it virtually impossible to bring in a Laval Rocket player stuck in Cleveland.
• The CH wanted a central safety cushion. Damaged to varying degrees, Christian Dvorak, Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach have missed one or more practices over the past few days. Beck is one of the OJL’s best center in the face-off circle.
• A bit older and more experienced, Joshua Roy seemed a more natural choice. However, the Sherbrooke Phœnix played three games from Friday to Sunday. Under current rules, a recalled player cannot miss more than one junior game.
• The Peterborough Petes were off Friday and Saturday. And getting to Ottawa was easy by car.

The most superstitious will say that it was “due”. The test, however, was a daunting one. Beck had certainly experienced a strong training camp, which had earned him the signing of his first professional contract, but said camp ended almost four months ago.

Martin St-Louis however affirmed, at the end of the evening, how much he was “proud” of the young man. “He played well, he seemed comfortable on the ice, detailed the head coach. He’s a hockey player. He has a bright future ahead of him. »

We do not pour out every day on the roadmap of St-Louis and on its status as a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. But we suspect that this is the kind of compliment that should resonate in an athlete whose career is just beginning.

Comfortable

Very calm, Beck spoke of “strange 24 hours” after the meeting. In the morning, he had told how he had announced the news to his parents^⁠1. His father, one suspects, did not balk at the idea of ​​​​cancelling the planned dinner with his son, since he instead attended his first skating in the NHL.

“It was an incredible experience, continued the center player. It was not the result we wanted, but I know that other matches will come and that we will win them. »

Used sparingly – he played a little less than 10 minutes – Beck did not seem to be dropped. St-Louis had placed him in the center of Christian Dvorak and Jesse Ylönen, two responsible players in defense. Their trio, admittedly, didn’t bring a ton of chances, but Beck did have some nice flashes. A rookie’s generosity was recognized when he attempted an (intercepted) 2-on-1 pass instead of shooting. And he blocked a Nikita Zaitsev shot from high in the defensive zone midway through the third period.

This dedication did not escape his teammates.

“He’s a guy with character, who will never let go, summed up David Savard. He is smart and very good in both directions of the rink. It’s part of his game to play well defensively, and he showed it tonight. »

Savard, who has seen others, also believes that it “bodes well for his future, for his career”.

His near future, however, will pass through Peterborough. Not surprisingly, the Habs confirmed at the end of the evening that they had sold the young man to the Petes, who are already preparing for the playoffs.

The season of the Canadian is not rich in opportunities for celebration. Good stories are therefore important.

Here’s one that ended almost as quickly as it started. But when you think about it, it was probably more of a chapter. A first for Owen Beck. But certainly not the last.