When a young player is the leading scorer in the American League from start to finish of the season, it makes sense that he gets at least one call-up to the National League before the end of the campaign. So when Mavrik Bourque received the call on April 4 from the assistant general manager of the Dallas Stars confirming that he was going to play his first game in the big league, “it was no longer a surprise.”
“It was: finally,” says the 22-year-old striker on the line. ” I was happy. It was time ! This is something I was dreading and I don’t think I could ask for better timing. »
The young man had played the day before with his team, the Texas Stars, scoring his 25e goal and 72e point of the season in a 3-2 loss. After the match, he had dinner with his agent, who came to visit him in the southern United States.
“Precisely, we were talking about the fact that we had no idea [si j’allais être rappelé]. We were hoping I would have a match by the end of the year. »
After playing two games in two evenings, the young man needed some rest. The next morning, he was sound asleep, his cell phone on mute, when assistant general manager Mark Janko tried to contact him. “Probably he called once or twice before [ma sonnerie retentisse] “, he says, laughing.
Janko informed him that he would be recalled for Saturday’s game in Chicago. Immediately, Bourque dialed the numbers of his parents, family and friends. He then picked up his hockey bag at the rink, packed his bags and boarded a plane to Dallas, where he trained with the club before flying to Chicago for the Game with a capital M.
A long wait
Mavrik Bourque, the Stars’ first-round pick in 2020, has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Last year, after a 47-point season in the American League, he was one of the prospects recalled to fill the role of “Black Ace” during the NHL playoffs. He took part in the warm-up twice during the Western final, although without playing a match.
This year, he played extensively with Logan Stankoven, the organization’s 2021 second-round pick, on his line in the American League. For several weeks, the two attackers were first and second in points on the circuit. Except that at the end of February, Stankoven was recalled by the Stars and he never returned to the farm club. Bourque was not recalled.
Of course you have questions. I think it’s normal. At the same time, you have to live with the decisions of the organization. We were two players who had two excellent seasons. I didn’t really control what they decided.
Mavrik Bourque
He continued to maintain good production despite the departure of his line partner, patiently waiting his turn. “I don’t think you can come into the National League too ready. I think you may not arrive ready enough,” said Bourque, a native of Plessisville, in an interview with The Press at the end of December.
So when he got the call last week, he was ready.
“I couldn’t be more ready and be more confident for my first match,” he says.
PHOTO SEEGER GRAY, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES
Mavrik Bourque (22) played 10:56 against the Blackhawks on Saturday.
The same idea
“I knew I was ready, but at the end of the day, you don’t know how your game will transfer to the National League level until you play a real game,” explains the Quebecer. That’s a bit what I was thinking about before the match. »
Bourque maintained the same routine as usual. He took advantage of the moment, without necessarily taking the time to realize what he was going through, he tells us.
“Yes, I have images that will stay with me forever, I was trying to make the most of them during the national anthems, but… I’m here and this is where I want to be. »
It’s happening so quickly, you have so many things to think about, that it seems like you don’t realize it.
Mavrik Bourque
Bourque played a total of 10:56, heading two pucks to the net in a 3-2 loss to Connor Bedard’s Blackhawks. Despite the setback, he was “still happy” with his performance.
“The more the match progressed, the more I progressed. Of course there are certain points that I can improve. […] The more matches I play, the more patient I will be and the more games I will create.
“For the rest, my level of competitiveness and the way I skated, I think it was good. It’s finding time and space with the puck that will help me generate more offensively. »
Bourque received good comments after the duel, notably from Quebec assistant coach Alain Nasreddine.
The next day, he returned with the school club.
” At the beginning, [les dirigeants] told me they didn’t know yet if they were going to take me to Colorado [le lendemain]. Plus, they had to leave out a regular player to fit me into the lineup. Want, don’t, I was kind of expecting to come back after the match. »
On the day of his return to the American League, Bourque played one game, collecting an assist in a 3–1 victory, which confirmed his team’s place in the playoffs. The young man will therefore participate in the spring dance with less weight on his shoulders, but the same idea in mind: “Prove every day that I have served my time in the American League and that I am ready for the next level . »