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Paul Byron was a great help to Owen Beck

 Auteur: mjohnson
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Paul Byron was a great help to Owen Beck
Credit: Getty Images
Since his retirement from professional hockey, Paul Byron has played a very important role as a player development consultant with the Montreal Canadiens.

Although he hasn’t been in the job very long, he’s often in the news for his excellent advice to the organization’s young players.

Owen Beck was able to take advantage of Byron at the start of the 2023-24 season, following his withdrawal from the team last September.

Beck thought he should go to Byron for advice, which Byron offered.

And let’s just say it seems to have been a turning point for Beck’s season, as he finally won the Memorial Cup with the Saginaw Spirit, as well as the tournament MVP award.

His offensive potential seems to have increased this season.

“With him being a striker who earned every minute in his career – and that he had an incredible work ethic – it made sense for me to go and talk there.” – Owen Beck

Beck learned a lot from his coach in Saginaw, but Byron was an incredible help to the young center.

Byron watched several of Beck’s videos carefully to raise points to work on and focus on.

The 20-year-old center really appreciated the fact that the former Habs small forward was always available for him, but above all that he never sugarcoated his words to please him.

He was down to earth and wasn’t afraid to say what needed to be said, and Beck is very grateful for that.

When Beck was cut by the big club to continue his junior season, he was very disappointed by the whole thing, but looking back, he’s very appreciative of the Habs’ decision.

And that’s when Byron said something that Beck remembered throughout his season.

“I think the biggest thing he told me was to focus on the moment. He started by telling me, ‘Don’t go back to junior with the idea that you didn’t make the club. Go into junior with the idea of getting better and putting yourself in the best position to get to the next camp and break into the lineup.’” – Owen Beck

If those aren’t the words of a wise man, I don’t know what is.

I can see why Beck had such a great season in his last year of junior. With the advice Paul Byron gave him, it makes a lot of sense.

It greatly improved his confidence, as Sportsnet’s Eric Engels mentions in his article, as did breaking into Canada’s line-up at the World Junior Championship.

This confidence has enabled him to improve greatly offensively, as he can support the attack in a variety of ways.

And that’s without mentioning his excellent defensive work.

Will Beck be able to break into the Habs line-up for 2024-25, or will he start the season in Laval, in your opinion?

Overtime

– Tomorrow is the 13th anniversary of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins being drafted at the very top of the 2011 auction. Tomorrow, he can celebrate with a Stanley Cup.

– Let’s just say his chances of being selected in the first round are very good.

– Corey Perry’s always so funny.

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