Habs News: Montreal Canadiens, NHL, Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Tyler Toffoli, Sylvain Lefebvre, Golf Tournament

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | MONTREAL, QC. — This is your one-stop destination every week day for your Canadiens news capsule. Here are your Habs Headlines!

Habs Golf Tournament

The Montreal Canadiens golf tourney will be missing a few people this year. On Monday, the team announced that due to protocols for the 2021-22 season established by the league, players, coaches, management and front office staff will not be allowed to participate in the annual Canadiens golf tournament. The event typically is a first opportunity for players and coaches to meet with the media prior to the start of training camp.

The golf tournament will be held on September 21 in Laval-sur-le-Lac to benefit the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation. Training camp opens on September 22nd.

Suzuki Speaks About KK

While fans may have been divided on Jesperi Kotkaniemi leaving Montreal when the Carolina Hurricanes successfully signed the 21-year-old centre to an offer sheet, it was a bitter pill to swallow for members of the Canadiens. “It’s tough because he’s a great friend of mine, obviously. But it is part of the business. I got to learn that pretty quickly when I got traded from Vegas,” Nick Suzuki told Elliotte Friedman during Monday’s taping of 31 Thoughts: The Podcast.

Suzuki and Kotkaniemi were close friends who were are touch with each other every second day.

If Marc Bergevin had matched the Canes offer sheet, Suzuki said that Kotkaniemi would have been welcomed back warmly by his teammates. “I think it would’ve been fine. He’s a very likable guy. (He’s) very well-liked in the dressing room,” said Suzuki.

Toffoli: No Doubt

Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli said Monday that the players heard the doubters throughout their miracle playoff run all the way to the Stanley Cup final. “It was almost never-ending,” Toffoli said on an upcoming episode of 31 Thoughts: The Podcast. “It would’ve been the cherry on top to win it all and have [Carey Price] and [Shea Weber] win, but that’s the way it was.”

Toffoli said that once Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin left the series due to injury in Game 6 of the opening round, he believed that the Habs would win.

“I think Muzz got hurt in Game 6, and I was like, ‘We’re going to Toronto. We’re winning Game 7,’” said Toffoli. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re winning. Because dude plays [20-plus] heavy minutes a night. He’s an incredible defenceman. It’s unfortunate he got hurt, but for us, it’s like, ‘Let’s finish Game 6, go to Toronto and win Game 7!”

CBJ Coaching Change

On Monday, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced that Cleveland Monsters Associate Coach Steve McCarthy has replaced Sylvain Lefebvre as an assistant coach. Lefebvre, the former head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs and Laval Rocket has chosen not to receive a vaccine.

“While we are disappointed, we respect that this decision is a personal one for Sylvain and wish him well,” said General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen.

Canadiens Connection podcast

Current Habs topics were discussed on this week’s episode of the Canadiens Connection podcast. Listen, share and subscribe!