Posted at 8:00 a.m.
All that gear!
Professional players seem to renew their equipment often. What do they do with their used equipment (sticks, gloves, skates, etc.)? I’m also thinking of used goalie gear (for example, Carey Price, who is now associated with a new brand, does he keep his old pads and old sticks as souvenirs in his attic?).
Pierre-Marc Asselin
Response from Katherine Harvey-Pinard
Hello, Mr Asselin. I contacted the Canadiens’ equipment manager, Pierre Gervais, to answer your questions. Players use an average of one stick per game. As for the rest of the equipment, the renewal varies from player to player. Mr. Gervais tells me that the used equipment is returned “100%” to the marketing department of the Habs, which is responsible for organizing one or two sales per year. These sales are very popular. The organization keeps a few pants, helmets and gloves in order to accommodate former players during Alumni matches.
Players are not allowed to keep their used equipment because it does not belong to them. The only exception: goalie masks. It’s the only item they can keep because it’s custom made and the keeper pays for the paint.
Equipment during an exchange
As stated in a previous column, it’s up to the new team to take care of the logistics when a player is traded. However, what about his equipment? Is it up to the new equipment manager or the player’s agent to communicate with the supplier in order to obtain new helmets and new gloves in the colors of his new team?
Pierre-Marc Asselin
Response from Katherine Harvey-Pinard
I called on the Canadiens’ equipment manager, Pierre Gervais, to answer your questions. First of all, the player’s agent is in no way involved in this process. When changing teams, the player leaves with their equipment, except for their pants, gloves and colored helmet (the white helmet is the same for all teams, just change the stickers). The new team’s equipment manager takes care of everything, but he gets a lot of help from the suppliers. Interesting fact: when there is an exchange between two players, the equipment managers of the two teams get in touch to establish the number of sticks they leave with the players and to give each other some information, in particular on the sharpening. In another interview a few months ago, Mr. Gervais told me: “When the player arrives here, we know everything about him. “We choose a number, I have a sweater made and when the guy arrives, his name plate is placed in the locker room and everything is done,” he added.
The attraction for John Herdman
Without being a big football fan, I love sport in general, but especially the beautiful stories associated with it, and what a magnificent journey that the Canadian men’s soccer team has. My question is addressed in particular to Jean-François Téotonio (great addition to your team!). With John Herdman’s success with the women’s selection, and then the men’s, what do you think are the chances that he will be recruited by a program, say, more “glamorous”, or even a club of a first league in Europe?
Franz Ertz
Answer from Jean-Francois Teotonio
First, thank you for the kind words, Franz!
Secondly, without being in the secret of the gods, my little finger tells me that John Herdman could be tempted to join a top club after the 2022 World Cup. His bet to qualify the men’s team for a first World Cup in 36 years would be successful. The qualification for 2026 is already acquired. He has, almost single-handedly, evolved and grown Canadian men’s and women’s soccer. If a new challenge presents itself to him, why not?
Herdman has already tried to break into the middle of the coaching in club in Europe, at the beginning of his career. But no one gave him a chance. “The industry was looking for coaches with a more substantial player background,” he explained to The Athletic, in 2021. And he was coming out of the university ranks. But today, in view of his success with the Canadian teams and the women’s selection of New Zealand, his profile must be considered by major European clubs, in my humble opinion.
Five against five or four against four?
When penalties are imposed on players from both teams, play sometimes continues four-on-four, sometimes five-on-five. What criteria apply to determine the number of players on the ice?
Michael Hamelin
Response from Simon-Olivier Lorange
When it comes to minor penalties (2 minutes) awarded at the same time, so at the same stoppage of play, we will play four against four if only one player is penalized on each side. If more than one player is punished, for example following a tussle following the whistle, then it will remain at five against five – it is still necessary that the number of players punished is the same in each camp. If two players receive major penalties (5 minutes or more), five players from each team will also be kept on the ice.
A favorable calendar?
In 2019, I believe, a journalist pointed out that some teams, including the Canadiens, had a favorable schedule with a low percentage of two-game series in 24 hours. This year, without an exhaustive study, I believe that the CH is still favoured. What do you think ?
Pierre Charron
Response from Guillaume Lefrancois
Hello, Mr Charron. Let’s see what the numbers say. At the end of the season, the Canadian will have played 13 series of two games in two days, which is not badly in the league average. Indeed, 14 of the 32 teams will have played 13 or 14 two-game series in two days. The Coyotes and Islanders are the teams that have played the most (18 each). That said, in the case of the Islanders, several of those series involved very light travel due to the geographic proximity of many division rivals. Which is far from the case with the Coyotes. At the other end, the Oilers, Sharks and Golden Knights are the most favored teams, with just ten two-game series in two days. It’s important to note that the final schedule no longer resembles what was originally scheduled by the NHL, due to COVID-19 outbreaks throughout the season.