Ivan Demidov taunted Juraj Slafkovsky in his draft interview

In the world of sports, athletes, often younger, are not afraid to taunt other players.

Sometimes, bad intentions are behind the gesture, but other times, it’s just a bit of fun.

Making fun of someone can be frowned upon and misinterpreted, and it’s important to know what the real intentions are.

In Ivan Demidov’s case, we know he’s a great laugh.

He proved it just before the draft when he was interviewed by Montreal Canadiens management.

Jeff Gorton mentioned that the Russian already knew some of the players, as he has his duties to the organization. Gorton mentioned the name of Juraj Slafkovsky.

Demidov replied that he had already played against him at the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament, and he didn’t hesitate to taunt him about the Slovaks’ loss to the Russians.

This kid looks like a perfect “fit” for the Habs.

The Montreal organization released a behind-the-scenes video of its latest draft on this Thursday evening, and there are some nice gems in there.

First, we understand that Michael Hage was the player targeted at No. 21, and that there was a general consensus within management regarding his selection.

Also, we learned that Demidov would have thought the Habs crazy if they hadn’t selected him at the 5th spot.

The latter also proved that he’s very confident, but above all that he’s not afraid to joke around.

Even if the NHL is a very serious league, like any other major professional sports league, in Montreal, it’s nice to be able to have a laugh.

It helps relieve the enormous pressure players are under, even if some of them love it.

In Montreal, it can be very difficult, but Demidov seems to have a similar profile to Slafkovsky as a person.

What I mean by this is that both talented young players seem to be “innocent”, but in a good way.

They’re not the kind of people who will worry about nothing and stress out because the fans are too intense.

It’s important to care about hockey, but in Montreal, it’s just as important not to worry too much.

As long as the work, the effort and the progress are there, what the fans think isn’t very relevant, contrary to what the organization thinks.

Overtime

– But which team was he talking about?

Kent Hughes to Martin Lapointe at the draft table: “If the draft didn’t go our way, would you trade 5 for their no.1 pick next year, unprotected and a 2nd RD pick?”

Obviously the team was not identified.

– NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) August 23, 2024

– Anthony Duclair gets a taste of Lou Lamoriello’s medicine.

Anthony Duclair has officially entered Lou Land and the Islanders

: aduclair10/IG pic.twitter.com/KLvNuzv3NO

– Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) August 22, 2024