Hockey

The Canadiens are organizing a mentor trip for their players this year
Marc-Olivier Cook
The Canadiens are organizing a mentor trip for their players this year
Credit: Getty Images

The Montreal Canadiens have decided to do things a little differently this year: offer their players a mentors' trip.

At least, that's what La Presse wrote about Zachary Bolduc, who decided to invite one of his former coaches by the name of Sébastien Lemay.

Bolduc feels that Lemay really helped him become the player he is today, and would like to return the favor in a way.

The idea is clear. Each player can invite someone important in his career to accompany him on the team's trip this week to Pittsburgh and New York.

I imagine it could be a former coach, a trainer, a loved one… or someone who really counted in a player's development. Someone who was around long before the NHL, basically.

It's a good idea.

For the players, it's a way of saying thank you in a way.

They'll have the opportunity to spoil someone who's been important in their careers, and it's a really nice thought on the part of the Montreal organization. We often see the mother's trip or the father's trip (I imagine it could happen later in the season), but a mentor's trip… that's special too.

But for the Canadiens, the message is simple too: a player's development doesn't just happen on the ice. It happens with the right people around… and it's also a reminder of how important it is to be well surrounded in order to move forward.

The Habs have taken the time to do something profoundly human. And sometimes, it seems, it's exactly this kind of gesture that makes the difference on the ice.

I have a feeling, at least, that the players will be hungry against the Penguins (Thursday) and Rangers (Saturday) in front of their respective mentors.

If that helps the team win… so much the better!


Overtime

– Hello, Slaf.

– Mathieu Choinière is in LA to stay.

– I confess.

– Come on!

– Wow.

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