(McLean, Virginia) The first conversation between Pierre-Luc Dubois and his new coach in Washington, Spencer Carbery, this summer, but also, more importantly, the young man’s reaction to this discussion, in the way he tells it, quickly allow us to grasp the essence of this boy. And probably explain why things didn’t work out for him in Los Angeles.
“It lasted 12 minutes and we didn’t even talk about hockey for the first 10 minutes,” he confided. “He asked about me, my family. He asked me if I had time to call my father. If my girlfriend had received the conversation well. He asked me my reaction. I had never had a conversation like that with a coach. He was interested in me. I even looked at my phone to see how long we had been talking without mentioning hockey.”
Once the conversation was over, he called his biggest confidant, his father Eric, an assistant coach with the Manitoba Moose in the American League. “I told him all about it. That a coach gets to know me, my family, my girlfriend, how I feel about all that, I was really touched. Because in the world of hockey, often, you’re not a person, you’re a number. It’s business. It’s fun sometimes when you feel the human side. You can’t wait for others to gain confidence, but it helps…”
Pierre-Luc Dubois receives The Press home, where he has just moved with his girlfriend Madeleine and their two dogs in a wealthy suburb of Washington. There is barely any furniture, but the immense residence is not without charm. There is nothing flashy about it; this house breathes, it has a soul, and it also allows us to quickly learn about the tastes of this couple in their twenties.
PHOTO MATHIAS BRUNET, THE PRESS
Pierre-Luc Dubois and his two dogs
“We saw it online and fell in love with it,” he says. [Madeleine] flew out the next day to view it and she called me right away to tell me it was our dream home. And this time, unlike in Los Angeles, we think we’ll be here for a long time, especially with the full no-trade clause that went into effect on the 1st.er July. “
Dubois moved to the suburb where most of his teammates live several weeks ago. “We’re getting our furniture and I have to be here for the deliveries. I wanted to take care of it sooner because I won’t have time when training camp starts.”
Our man has been in a relationship for five years. “I met her in Columbus. She was with me in Winnipeg, Los Angeles. Long before I learned of the trade, I asked her, she who doesn’t know hockey, what city she would dream of settling in. She answered Washington. It was such a good fit! She’s from Michigan, so she’s closer to her family.”
“In a gray area all year round”
There is a certain perception of Pierre-Luc Dubois, the third overall pick in the NHL behind Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine in 2016. The Quebecer demanded a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2021 and botched his start with a last presence on the ice of rare softness; in Winnipeg, we wondered if the harsh criticism of coach Rick Bowness was aimed at him; and he lived the experience of a single season in Los Angeles, 40 points, including 16 goals, in 82 games, after signing a contract worth US$68 million for eight years.
But we discover a young man who is switched on, curious, informed, sensitive… maybe even too much so. Anything but disinterested. A die-hard soccer fan who, the day before, attended the friendly match between the women’s teams of Arsenal and Chelsea at the MLS’s DC United stadium, not far from his home in Washington.
Dubois, 26, was traded from the Kings to the Capitals on June 19 in exchange for a 32-year-old goalie relegated to a backup role in Washington, Darcy Kuemper. Los Angeles was looking to free itself from that onerous contract and Washington still believed in the potential of the Quebecer, 63 points, including 27 goals, in 73 games a year earlier in Winnipeg.
PHOTO MATT SLOCUM, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pierre-Luc Dubois in the Los Angeles Kings uniform, last November
He learned of the trade on the plane. “I was flying to Minnesota to work out with a Kings strength and conditioning coach. I couldn’t call, but I had Wi-Fi. I kind of had a feeling after my end-of-season meeting with management the night before. They hadn’t talked to me about trading me, but I had a feeling they were going to try. On the flight, my agent texted me and told me to call him ASAP. There was a delay between when we found out I was about to be traded and when I got to my destination. I started to get nervous. Where am I going to live for the next seven years? And I had an hour and a half of flying time left…”
Pierre-Luc Dubois knew early on that things might not work out in Los Angeles. “Take it as you will, but I’ve always needed to have clear instructions to do my job 100%.”
I get mixed up when there are gray areas. I question myself too much. I’ve been working on that since I was young. And there, from my first conversations with the team, I didn’t really know what was expected of me. I didn’t know where I stood. You can’t play well when you question yourself too much.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, on his time with the Los Angeles Kings
Dubois doesn’t blame the Kings for that, though. Although he says he had no more than two conversations with coach Todd McLellan over the winter.
“We didn’t talk often. Todd is more of a team tactics coach. Maybe we didn’t have that relationship. Maybe I was too demanding, wanting to have the path explained to me. It’s obviously my fault that it didn’t work. You’re not supposed to expect your entourage to help you gain confidence, but it can help. I tried to take on the challenge, but I stayed in a gray area all year. I didn’t feel at home. The players helped me, and I wanted it to unblock, but it just wasn’t working.”
Scars
McLellan’s firing and Jim Hiller’s promotion helped. He had 20 points in 34 games, compared to 20 in his first 48. But he was limited to one point in five playoff games against the Edmonton Oilers. “Jim knew me better than Todd because we talked more. It was a breath of fresh air for the whole team.”
But it was too late to change management’s mind, obviously. “I love learning. I want to get better. If you’re the same person you were five years ago, you’re not doing it right. I was watching the Michael Jordan documentary. His motivational tools were always negative. He would make up scenarios about what people were saying about him. But you saw what that did to his career. He took two breaks because it was so demanding. Everybody’s different. Asking me questions was always a problem.”
He will always have scars – that’s the term he uses – from his experience in Los Angeles. “I thought I was going to settle down there for eight years. Not get traded after one year.”
I lived the worst-case scenario, hence the scars. We understand each other, there are much worse things in life. I still do the sport I love, I still have my family, my friends. My life is fine. But professionally, it was the worst-case scenario. You want to succeed in your career, you want to please your team, the people around you.
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Pierre-Luc Dubois is an open book. His body language speaks volumes. He lights up every time he talks about the Capitals. “I enjoyed my conversations with them, not just the coach, but the general manager, Brian MacLellan (since become president of hockey operations only). Tom Wilson [mon coéquipier] helped me find a house. I’ve been following the Capitals since I came into the league: the city, the arena; I watched [Alex] Ovechkin on TV when I was young. And I had my mind set on coming back East. All that together, I was lucky.”