It is certainly not in these circumstances that Charles Hudon glimpsed his first match near home, in the enemy uniform.
Posted at 3:35 p.m.
First off, of course, Hudon would have preferred to be in the Tampa Bay Lightning uniform and face the Canadiens. Wednesday, it will be more with the Crunch of Syracuse, against the Rocket of Laval.
He couldn’t imagine playing in front of empty bleachers either. But this is how this first Rocket game will be played since December 17. Place Bell, like the Bell Center, cannot currently accommodate spectators.
“It’s going to be different, especially without the fans, without the family in the stands,” agreed Hudon, met at the Crunch morning meeting on Wednesday at Place Bell. But just being here in an organization other than the Canadiens is big for me.
“I know it’s difficult right now, but for me it will be easier without the fans. I will be able to concentrate on my match, I will not have to take care of anyone outside! It’s different, but it gives me butterflies to come back here to Laval. ”
Detour in Switzerland
Officially, it’s only been fifteen months since Hudon left the organization that drafted him in 2012. But at the rate things are going, it looks like it’s been forever.
Since his departure, the Canadian has indeed changed head coach, fired his general manager, reached the Stanley Cup final, lost his captain, said goodbye to Phillip Danault and found himself in the heart of a new soap opera on the state of health of Carey Price. His contacts with the organization? He appoints Éric Lévesque, the Rocket’s equipment attendant, as well as veterans Xavier Ouellet and Alex Belzile.
Life has changed with the Canadian, but also with Hudon. “Our 9 month old baby does not yet understand that he is being walked from Switzerland to Montreal to Syracuse! ”
Because after a stay in the organization of the CH which ended up fishtail, Hudon moved to Lausanne to compete in the 2020-2021 campaign. He tallied 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists) in 33 games, before returning to North America on a one-year, two-part contract with the Lightning.
He has not yet been entitled to a recall, especially due to a bad combination of circumstances: COVID hit the Lightning and the school club at the same time. Hudon was among the infected players and therefore was not available for a recall when the big club needed reinforcements, during the holidays.
There is also the fact that, despite an interesting production (18 points in 22 games), Hudon has not yet fully convinced his head coach, Benoît Groulx.
“Charles’s challenge is to play Crunch style. That’s okay with any player, said Groulx. We left it in its natural position at the beginning, but there we put it in the center. I spoke to him about it yesterday, I think he has more freedom in the center, he is more involved in the game and he manages the face-offs.
“His production is good, it could be better. His game is good, we hope he is better. I feel that Charles Hudon’s best hockey is ahead of him. He has a good attitude, his job is good and we have good communication together. Like the rest of the team, I think it’s coming. ”
The family before hockey
Hudon has not yet had the hoped-for chance to return to the NHL. And had he stayed in Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe, his name certainly could have been part of the discussions to play with Team Canada at the Olympics.
Under the circumstances, he admits not knowing if he made the right decision as a return to North America.
“From that angle (the Olympics), it’s a bad decision, but if it allows me to play in the National League, it’s a good decision. I don’t know what will happen. We will see later.
“I’ll never know if it was the right decision to come back or if I should have stayed there. We are happy to be back, to see our families. We are happy to see North American hockey again. It’s not that I didn’t like Switzerland. It’s just a different mentality. My goal is to go back there to finish my career, because I know my chances of playing in the National League are getting slimmer. ”
For now, his wife and their three children are with him in Syracuse. His oldest “is in the same class as the son to Gab Dumont [son coéquipier à Syracuse]. It’s funny to see them go together, the little ones! ”
“Many decisions in the next few years are going to be made based on my family, not on me. We will see where we are. There, we are talking a lot for the next few years. School changes things. There, I have to stay in Syracuse until June because of school. When I was training, I saw Jonathan Bernier arriving super late because of his children. There, it’s my turn! ”
If it were up to his biggest, it is in Switzerland that Hudon would pursue his career. “I know my biggest hopes to return. The other does not really know where, Switzerland! ”
The Crunch is on
With a record of .521 (11-10-3 before Wednesday’s game), the Crunch is experiencing its “worst” season since the arrival of Benoît Groulx behind the bench in 2016 (we have already seen worse). But as we talked about it, injuries and COVID-19 have not spared the team, which has employed 38 players so far. By comparison, the Rocket called on 31 players. But since Christmas, the Crunch has gradually regained its elements and arrived in Laval with a series of four victories.
“We played so many games without our first two goalies and our first four defenders, with a patched up first line. Our goal was to survive then, revealed Groulx. I take my hat off to the players. Now, they’re probably our best team on paper in a long time. Our wounded have returned, so did the guys who had COVID. […] We keep our fingers crossed that the wounds are behind us. We will have an inhuman schedule by the end of the season. ”
For example, Wednesday’s duel in Laval was the first in a series of 7 in 11 days.