Since then, their recalls from the Laval Rocket, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Alex Bezlile have had great moments with the big club. Former Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien sees their arrival as “a breath of fresh air” for the CH.
Obviously, the opportunity presented to his two players would not be possible if they did not inspire confidence in the coaching staff. For that to happen, it only takes one person on the team to believe in a youngster.
“The most important thing is really to believe in someone,” Therrien told TVA Sports before the game against the Senators.
When he was in charge of the school club of the Habs at the time, in Fredericton, the former instructor received calls from Alain Vigneault to know who was the best defenseman of the school club. He did not hesitate to name the same name: Francis Bouillon.
“He always told me ‘he’s almost your adopted son’. I told him “listen, Alain. It’s my best!”, He said. He was playing with his heart so much and I knew where he was coming from. I always liked the hockey player and the person.
Then Therrien shared a memory about Paul Byron, whom the CH had claimed on waivers in October 2015.
“We were first in the National League, so there were 29 teams that went over it. I saw him arrive with his hockey pocket in Edmonton. I immediately called Marc Bergevin and told him “for me, you got the wrong guy!”, because he was very small.
“The first game, we didn’t play him. The second game, in Calgary, he had three breakaways. He had a great career with the Canadiens.”
The example of St-Louis
If anyone knows the importance of encouraging and motivating the next generation, it’s Martin St-Louis. At the start of his career, in the Calgary Flames organization, the current Bleu-blanc-rouge pilot was waiting for his turn in the American League. Therrien believed he deserved better when he saw him in action.
“He really was the best Flames player in St. John’s, New Brunswick. Nothing bothered him. We were trying to intimidate him and he didn’t mind. We all know the career he had.
“He didn’t have a chance in Calgary. It took a guy like Rick Dudley in Tampa to provide an opportunity.”
See Michel Therrien’s intervention in the video, above.