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Pascal Vincent admits he doesn’t know all his players

 Sarah Jones
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Pascal Vincent admits he doesn’t know all his players
Credit: Capture d'écran / Screenshot
At last, hockey is back.

This weekend, the Canadiens’ rookies will play the Maple Leafs twice, followed by the golf tournament. According to many, the real season begins when the players are all together on the golf course.

Despite a great match-up this afternoon, the Habs hopes lost 4-3 in a shoot-out. As my colleague Félix Forget so aptly put it, Lane Hutson stood out.

Adam Engstrom and Owen Beck were two other players who, in my opinion, impressed.

At head coach Pascal Vincent’s press conference, he answered two questions about Engstrom. He thinks the youngster is very good and very solid. And personally, I liked the way the left-hander anticipated the game and battled one-on-one.

The kid also has extremely underrated hands and skating. Obviously, all the analysis you’ll see on social media this weekend should be taken lightly. After all, the guys are playing against other rookies and it’s the start of training camp for everyone. But even so, it’s worth noting the fine performances.

Talking about Vincent’s press conference, he admitted that he didn’t know all the players he had in his hands. Indeed, he is also new to the Montreal organization and will get to know them over time.

Obviously, when the players are in front of him on the bench, he sees their names, but he told the players not to be surprised if he calls them by their numbers.

It’s rare for a coach to say publicly that he doesn’t know all his guys, but can you really blame him? Let’s just say that the fourth line of Justin Larose, Charles Savoie and Israel Mianscum (who admittedly had a strong game) isn’t the most popular group in town.

Let’s hope he at least knew the 48 and the 24… #firstunit

Despite the defeat, Vincent, who says he’s happy to be part of the best organization in the league, was pleased with the players’ overall performance. He sensed a nervous energy, especially at the start of the game, but his team recovered well afterwards, energized by the huge crowd at the Bell Centre.

In fact, there were over 20,000 spectators in the amphitheatre for a rookie game on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

There’s no place in the NHL like Montreal. – Pascal Vincent

The city continues to prove it has the best fans.

Meanwhile in Buffalo…

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