Samuel Montembeault has always been generous in interviews. We emphasize this because goalkeepers are often special cases, managed with the greatest care by the teams. Talking to a goalkeeper on game morning? In many markets, this is out of the question, even for the auxiliary. With Montembeault, that’s rarely a problem.
All that to say that he has not changed his habits, even out of season. Sunday evening, in Tampere, Finland, he helped Canada triumph over Germany in the final of the World Championship. At 2:45 a.m., the bus picked up the players at the hotel, in preparation for a 6:40 a.m. flight. A connection in Frankfurt later, it flew to Montreal, from where it then had to drive to at his home in Trois-Rivières.
What did he do when he arrived on Monday? Two telephone interviews, a media tour which he continued on Tuesday morning by responding to the message of The Press.
“We didn’t sleep long, we didn’t have much time to celebrate either! “, he admits.
Collectively, the triumph was exciting for an edition of Team Canada that did not have its usual share of stars. Gone are the years when Mark Stone, Taylor Hall and Mark Scheifele were conscripts. Former CH Tyler Toffoli was the biggest name in the group.
During the tournament, a journalist told Tyler Myers that we were the worst Team Canada ever assembled, and it was like becoming a running gag between us. In the last seconds of the final, the guys had fun yelling at the bench that we were the worst Canadian team in history!
Samuel Montembeault
Individually, Montembeault had things to prove to himself. In six years as a pro, he still hasn’t made the playoffs. The pandemic canceled them in 2020 and 2021 in the American League, then he found himself in a Canadian team in tatters in the fall of 2021, then under reconstruction.
His last series? In the spring of 2017 with the Armada, when he lost in the President’s Cup final. His last tournament won? “The Dodge Cup in Midget AAA!” “, he launches.
“By going there, I wanted to show that I was capable of winning, that I could perform well in one-night matches,” he explains. Which he accomplished, judging by his 6-1-0 record.
He also had to adapt to a different pace of work. Since his arrival at the Canadiens, he has been one of the most sought-after goaltenders in the NHL. He averages 34.6 shots per 60 minutes; only John Gibson and Karel Vejmelka have been bombarded more than him since October 2021.
At the World Championship, he received just 23.1 shots per hour of play, an obviously different challenge.
“I had less than 30 shots in all games, he notes. Some games, I received more in the first period and it slowed down. It’s harder to stay focused in that time. »
“We didn’t have the most explosive attack, but when we took the lead, we played really well,” added the Quebecer.
Winks from Price and Allen
Before leaving for Europe, Montembeault offered himself a few sessions on the ice with Éric Raymond, coach of the Canadiens’ goalkeepers.
On May 2, during the last session, he even had the right to a visit from Carey Price, who was training that day.
Paul Byron was there to shoot me. And Carey put on his player skates and he shot me too. It’s not the same when you’re used to goalie skates, but he still has a good shot when he manages to put his weight on it!
Samuel Montembeault
Montembeault did not necessarily have time to develop a great relationship with Price, since the latter has only been healthy for a month since the Bécancourois became a member of the CH.
“We didn’t talk a lot, but he’s super friendly, he encouraged me, he slapped my legs after practice when we met,” he says.
He obviously developed a closer relationship with Jake Allen. Montembeault and Justin Barron represented CH on the Canadian team, and Allen was – virtually – invited to the celebrations after the final.
“Jake texted me after the tournament. We really have a good relationship. I have often said it, but it is quite a teammate, recalls Montembeault. After the game, I was sitting with Barron on the bus, and Jake was writing to both of us at the same time, so we were sending him pictures of us. »
Number 35 now intends to take a few weeks off before embarking on his summer training. From 1er July, he will have the right to negotiate a contract extension, one year before the expiration of his current contract.
“I haven’t heard from them, but I know they have a lot of work to do this summer,” he underlines. I talked to my agent about it. Jack [Allen] had signed his extension at the end of the camp last year. If we can talk to each other at camp, that would be perfect. »
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- .939
- Samuel Montembeault had a .939 World Championship save percentage and a 1.42 goals-against average.