In this episode of Zone Exit, a collaboration between The Press and on 98.5, host Philippe Cantin receives Richard Labbé from The Pressas well as analysts Stéphane Waite and Antoine Roussel.
We discuss Kaiden Guhle, the World Junior Hockey Championship and the Damar Hamlin accident, which highlighted the safety issues in the world of sport.
Host: Philippe Cantin
Guests: Richard Labbé, Stéphane Waite and Guillaume Lefrançois
Listen to the full episode
First on the menu, Kaiden Guhle will miss the next eight weeks of action. Despite his limited experience in the NHL, he has already established himself as a pillar of the Canadian blue line. What does his loss represent for the club? Also, should the Canadian get rid of his undesirables, like Evgenii Dadonov, at all costs?
What I don’t like is that it can become okay to lose. It’s the worst concept in a hockey team. This state of mind enters the locker room, and when it enters, so like you have bedbugs all over your house. It’s hard to get rid of.
Antoine Roussel
The panelists then analyze Canada’s performance at the World Juniors, with an obvious emphasis on the prospect of Canadian Joshua Roy, who has proven to be one of the most important members of the team.
I find it inconceivable that the Canadian did not send Juraj Slafkovsky to the World Juniors. The difference with sending it to Laval is that there is an expiration date. He would have come back with the Canadian, he would have spent a month with guys he has known since he was little, it would have done him good. He is 18 years old, he is far from his family, it would have given him a nice dose of feeling at home.
Antoine Roussel
We were talking about that Thursday morning with Gerard Gallant when talking about Alexis Lafrenière. He explained to us very well, the 18 years who arrive, they have a journey to make. At 18 in the NHL, unless you are exceptional, do not expect dominant seasons.
Richard Labbe
Thomas Milic (Canada’s World Juniors goaltender), I’m not sold. He had a good tournament. There are 320 scouts who have turned their noses up over the past two years, there’s a reason for that. The first reason is that he is 6 feet tall. From memory there are four goalies 6 feet or less in the NHL. The odds of him playing aren’t great, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the skills. I watched him play, he’s good at everything, but I haven’t seen him excel at anything. When you’re not 6-foot-3, it takes a wow, and I haven’t seen it.
Stephane Waite
Finally, after the incident involving Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suddenly collapsed in the middle of a game, what are the security measures like in NHL arenas?