(Saint-Jean) Jonathan Huberdeau is not disappointed that the Florida Panthers have drawn on the old guard by hiring Paul Maurice as head coach.
Posted at 8:51 a.m.
On the contrary, Huberdeau sees similarities between Maurice and the coach who recently helped the team to two consecutive playoff appearances: Joel Quenneville. The latter, however, was dismissed early last season for his role in the Kyle Beach affair, a decade earlier when he led the Chicago Blackhawks.
Quenneville had a solid record in the NHL and Maurice too.
“He has experience and he won a lot,” said Huberdeau, between two periods at the Memorial Cup on Saturday. I can’t wait to see the adjustments it will make. I don’t know his system.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Jonathan Huberdeau
“I have often heard him speak and he expresses himself well. I also rubbed shoulders with him during a World Championship and he was nice”.
He wants to win and he is passionate about hockey.
Jonathan Huberdeau, about Paul Maurice
Andrew Brunette inherited the role of head coach after Quenneville’s departure. He held this position for the first time in the NHL.
The Panthers went 51-18-6 under Brunette, but came a little short of their goals. They were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the playoffs.
” You need to learn. We had a good team and we thought we would go further,” admitted Huberdeau, who set a career-high 115 points in the regular season. To lose in four games, especially against Tampa, is not easy. But we have a good team. We will come back strong next season. »
formative years
Huberdeau is one of many former Sea Dogs players who have returned to Saint John during the Memorial Cup presentation these days.
He helped the Sea Dogs win the President’s Trophy twice as QMJHL champions and the Memorial Cup once in 2011.
“It was really special. We had teams amassing over 50 wins each season. We had fun. We knew we had a good team. We had a good coach in Gerard Gallant,” said Huberdeau, who was eventually drafted third overall by the Panthers in 2011.
“Even though we were in junior hockey, he treated us like we were in the professional ranks,” he added. He wanted to help us reach the next level and he made us better. He could be hard on us sometimes, and even get angry, but he quickly moved on. »
Huberdeau said he kept in touch over the years with some of his Sea Dogs teammates, including Nathan Beaulieu, Zack Phillips, Mike Thomas and Stephen MacAulay.
He also noted that he tries to come back to Saint John every summer.
“I come to see my pension family and my friends. It’s like my second home to me. I had some great years of my life there,” he concluded.