My colleague Maxime Truman reported Wednesday that the Canadiens are not particularly excited about the idea of welcoming Ivan Demidov at the Montreal Airport in front of thousands of people, in the style of Didier Drogba. One of the reasons mentioned was that the organization did not want players in the locker room to have bad feelings towards the huge hype that has been building since Tuesday afternoon.
There are guys who are injured, during this playoff run. It’s certain that a 19-year-old Russian who has never played a game in North America and who enters the locker room with a reputation as a savior with 1 or 2 games to play in the season… It can be disturbing.
We have just had some initial feedback from the Canadiens’ locker room, and Patrik Laine does not seem very impressed by Demidov’s arrival.
Anthony Martineau presented his comments on the JiC show, earlier in the evening:
“I know he’s Russian and he’s a left-handed player… That’s not much. I don’t really watch the KHL. Yeah, I mean, he looks super talented. […] I think European hockey is a bit boring. Big rinks, fewer chances. Slower pace. Less skating. I like it here with the smaller rinks. It’s an adaptation for all young players, they have to experience it. It’s the league with the best players, and right now, entering the playoffs, it’s not an ideal time to do it.”
— Patrik Laine
Let’s make a few observations.
First, it’s essential to mention that the argument about the larger ice rink comes with a caveat. According to Grok (the information is difficult to verify), only 1 or 2 teams still play on an international-sized ice rink (60×30), while about ten teams play on a Finnish-sized ice rink (60×28) and another ten on an NHL-sized ice rink (60×26).
Then, we may have a good example that perfectly explains the Canadiens’ desire to temper the hype: the savior syndrome will not be unanimous. At the same time, should we rely on a unique guy like Patrik Laine? What is the real general sentiment in the locker room, and who really has negative feelings?
If we read between the lines, Laine is calling for calm in the most Laine way possible.
Demidov must prove himself, and the difference between the KHL and the NHL is (according to him) enormous.
Is it a strange intervention? Yes and no. Laine is probably right, in the end, to lower expectations. It remains an unconventional response from the future teammate of a young player who is unanimously recognized by experts, I’ll give you that.
But Jean-Charles makes a point by saying that when he leaves the arena, Laine, hockey no longer exists: he probably never saw the young player play hockey, sincerely.
That being said, let’s not invent a world of unicorns: the mistrust of veterans towards young players exists in professional sports. Remember that LeBron James’ teammates in Cleveland in 2003 were not impressed by him. “We have better players in his position than him,” Carlos Boozer said before his rookie season. Darius Miles doubted that you could expect a significant impact from a player from high school. *Sarcastic saxophone music on a montage of the highlights*
Overtime
Lane Hutson showed himself to be much more positive, he who had already been so during a live broadcast with Samuel Montembeault. The imminent Calder winner is excited.
“I see his highlights all the time. He’s very special, that’s for sure. It looks like he can play anywhere in the lineup and help. I’m excited to see what he can do and what we can do together. He’s going to fit in.”
— Lane Hutson
Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing where Martin St-Louis will place the young man in the lineup. That’s not unanimous either.
In any case, he’s arriving!
