Josh Anderson’s lethargy is a subject that constantly comes up in Canadian news. After 29 games, the striker has only scored one goal. An empty net goal. Since his mandate consists, in part, of moving the ropes, we are entitled to wonder if Martin St-Louis is thinking of letting him get some fresh air on the bridge.
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“No,” he replied. The day a player gives up on himself, that’s when a coach can decide to give up on him and leave him aside. This is not the case for Josh. In terms of attitude, work ethic and commitment, he’s there.”
For now, Anderson’s only demotion is from the first wave of the massive attack to the second.
“I have a lot of respect for Martin as a coach. He played a lot of games in the NHL. “That he continues to use me in the way he does shows that he still has confidence in me, in what I do,” said Anderson, visibly very grateful.
Partisan support
Moreover, even among supporters, the qualities listed above are taken in high esteem. You had to see and hear them on Wednesday evening, when number 17 was designated by St-Louis to start on the 12e and final round of the shootout. Seeing him score against Alex Nedeljkovic would have been such a great story.
In living memory, never has a Canadian player going through similar lethargy received so much support from the public. In fact, we have often witnessed the opposite phenomenon.
“It means a lot to me to see them support me like that,” said Anderson, the day after this 4-3 loss. “I definitely would have liked the ending to be different, but hearing them encourage me like that is It was really cool.”
“Montreal is an extraordinary place to play hockey. Even more so when things are going well. But to see the support the team and the players receive is heartwarming.”
A roll of toilet paper
Receiving this love and support certainly feels good. Because, like in any workplace, when things go badly, we ruminate about it all the way home.
“It’s very difficult. At first, I watched sequences, I watched matches. For some time now, I have been trying to let go a little more, he said. But when I show up at the rink, I continue to work every day, shooting pucks and telling myself that eventually, they will end up going into the net.
“Every day, you wonder if you’re going to come out of this lethargy, if you’re going to end up finding the back of the net,” he continued. At the same time, I try to contribute in other ways by staying true to my style of play. I continue to give my best every day.
In short, the colossus’ confidence is affected. And as it happens in these cases, the snowball effect that follows only makes the situation worse.
“When your confidence level is low, you see the game as if you were looking through a roll of toilet paper,” explained the Canadian head coach. Conversely, when you are full of confidence, you feel like you have eyes in the back of your head. And moving from one level to another doesn’t happen by snapping your fingers.”
This is done by scoring goals. That’s what we wish for him.