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Young players: being in a relationship does not always equate to success

 DansLesCoulisses.com
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Young players: being in a relationship does not always equate to success
Credit: The second year in the NHL for a hockey player is often more challenging than the first. We call it the sophomore slump… The athlete sometimes feels that he has arrived and unconsciously starts to ease up on his efforts, even if just a little, both in his preparation and on the ice. As a […]

The second year in the NHL for a hockey player is often more challenging than the first. We call it the sophomore slump…

The athlete sometimes feels that he has arrived and unconsciously starts to ease up on his efforts, even if just a little, both in his preparation and on the ice. As a result, the performances can be worse than during his rookie year, when his motivation and willingness to adapt were through the roof.

In Montreal, there is also the danger of the nightlife that waits for our athletes. It takes some time for the young newcomers to the 514 to discover the best spots in the city… but by their second year, they already know where to go for a drink (or more than one) when the need arises.

However, the concept of the sophomore slump also exists in Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg…

This season, teams facing the Canadiens almost all go to Palma the night before games, yet they too often manage to defeat the CH the following day!

I wonder if the clubbing – performance relationship is still as correlated as we thought. The future top scorer in NHL history could elaborate…

Juraj Slafkovsky and Angélie Bourgeois-Pelletier
Since I’ve started deconstructing myths, let me debunk another one: no, it’s not true that having a girlfriend automatically means settling down, living more calmly, and thus producing more on the ice.

Juraj Slafkovsky found love last summer. I mentioned it first HERE on the site…

Slafkovsky’s flame is named Angélie Bourgeois-Pelletier. She is a model and a waitress at FlyJin.

You can follow her on Instagram.

(Credit: Bella Management)

Yet, Juraj Slafkovsky has only two goals in 27 games in 2024-25… and he averages barely more than one shot per game. Being in love doesn’t mean performing better for our top overall pick.

Let’s call it the slump of the second third year…

Joshua Roy and Mélika Hogue
Joshua Roy has also been in a relationship for a few months. The Instagram account of the Laval Rocket confirmed it in a recent Christmas video.

Her name is Mélika Hogue, a girl currently residing in Ottawa. Josh and she are no longer hiding: they are publicly in a relationship on social media. Unfortunately for some, her Instagram account is private.

(Credit: Instagram)

However, we cannot say that the love Joshua Roy found led him to perform better on the ice. He didn’t make the big club after camp, missed a signing session a few weeks later, and was invisible during his call-up in November.

Cole Caufield and Catherine F.’s sister
In contrast, Cole Caufield does not seem to have found love yet, as Alexandra Fidiadis, Catherine F.’s sister (O.D.), admitted on the set of Stanley25 to be dating Cole Caufield. However, listening to Alexandra talk, it’s clear that she is not Cole Caufield’s girlfriend.

You can hear the (featured) excerpt via the following link:

Many hoped to see Cole Caufield get back together with Abby Brien, his girlfriend back then, last summer when they were spotted together at a Zack Bryan concert. Why? Because people naively associate being in a relationship with achieving success for hockey players. Yet, players have confessed to me that they had their best career season while being single and partying.

In conclusion: let’s stop demanding guys to be calmer than calm, more serious than the Pope, and quieter than a Siamese cat. Especially when the guys are young like Caufield, Slafkovsky, or Roy…

It doesn’t change your performance, whether you are in a relationship or not. Look at Michael Pezzetta: he has been neither better nor worse since he is no longer in a relationship with Mireille Boutin.

“You forgot one point: being with a girl who is not calm is worse than being single, right?”

That’s worth reflecting on. Because it’s true that Chanel wasn’t helping Galchenyuk back then…

Maybe the problem is just Quebec girls! Carey Price started reaching his “level” when he got back together with Angela Webber, a girl from the American West! #SarcasmAlert


– The Canadiens’ practice today focused more on skills.

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