Le Canadien revient de deux victoires de suite signées sous le signe de l’émotion, et maintenant, le plus gros des défis se profile à l’horizon : refaire la même chose samedi soir, puis lors du match d’après, puis lors du match suivant. Et ainsi de suite.
Publié à 13h58
Bien sûr, mis à part Freddie Mercury jadis, personne ne peut carburer à l’émotion soir après soir. Il y a toujours, inévitablement, des passages à vide, des soirs plus tranquilles, des matchs à Winnipeg, par exemple. Le Canadien de lundi soir et de jeudi soir ne sera pas forcément le Canadien de samedi soir au Centre Bell, au moment de la visite des Stars de Dallas.
Martin St-Louis est bien au fait de tout ça.
« Il y a 82 matchs et des fois, t’as une baisse d’énergie, a répondu l’entraîneur montréalais vendredi matin au Centre Bell. Des fois, tu te perds dans le calendrier un peu. Quand tu vois ça comme entraîneur, c’est peut-être ta job de les inspirer un peu, mais c’est pas quelque chose que l’entraîneur doit faire pendant 40 matchs… C’est aussi la responsabilité des joueurs d’apporter la pelle et les bottes, et d’aller au travail. »
Selon Martin St-Louis, aussi, il serait illusoire de croire que chaque avant-match doit mener à une envolée oratoire enflammée de la part du coach alors que ses hommes sont en train de lacer leurs patins.
Ça fonctionne à Hollywood, ça fonctionne un peu moins dans la réalité.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
« Je ne suis pas surpris [par ce début de saison], explained head coach Martin St-Louis. We were 0-8, but the way we were playing was reassuring to me. »
“The coach is not going to arrive before each game to make a speech like in Rocky IV… it’s not the same way it works. From time to time, you have to inspire your players, but it’s a group decision. It happens organically, but if you try to inspire guys every time, it loses its effect. »
In the meantime, there is ample effect in this start to the Canadian season. With a record of 3-2 after 5 games, the Montreal club is certainly to be classified in the category of surprises, even more so after a disastrous preparatory schedule, where the team had not been able to win a single game in eight outings.
” I’m not surprised [par ce début de saison], explained St-Louis. We were 0-8, but the way we were playing was reassuring to me. Because we rarely played with a better formation than the other team. We had a lot of young people with us, and we worked to inculcate new principles.
“The results obtained in the preparatory calendar, we weren’t concerned about them. So, it doesn’t surprise me that we have had a good start to the season. Because we had managed to prepare well during the camp, if we forget the results of the matches. »
The Canadian will also have to prepare for the unexpected, like Friday; the training scheduled at the Bell Center had to be canceled due to a broken pipe in the area. Which didn’t seem to shake Martin St-Louis too much, anyway. His club wins, his youngsters play beyond expectations, and around here, everyone is in a good mood.
What more ?
“It’s fun to watch,” he admitted. It’s something you build, something that happens organically, that you can’t cause. Our kids have a pack mentality, and that doesn’t surprise me. The guys are happy for each other. »
Team photo time
It was early season team photo day, Friday morning at the Bell Centre. Everyone was there, including Paul Byron, but not Carey Price. Fact to note: France Margaret Bélanger, sports and entertainment president of the club, was part of the group. This is the first time in the history of the Canadiens that a female member of the executive committee is part of the official team photo.
Good words for Harris
Everyone is talking about Kaiden Guhle in this magical start to the season, but according to Martin St-Louis, there is another young defenseman who is doing quite well too: Jordan Harris. “He’s playing very well,” noted the Montreal pilot. He defends himself as well with his feet as with his stick. He is able to play physical too, and it is rare that he is not in a good position. We may talk less about Jordan, but he does his job. »