A recap of Episode 26, that originally aired on April 4, is available here.
by Erica, Staff Writer and Fundraising Specialist, All Habs Hockey Magazine
MONTREAL, QC. — Sometimes you just need to state the obvious, and this episode opens with the most obvious statement of all: that Carey Price is a hell of a player. But we already knew that. Here’s what we learned:
It’s time to prep for the playoffs. The postseason is so close, and the team has to get ready for it. Carey Price was born ready, it seems. He’s been bailing out his teammates when they need it and ensuring wins for Montreal all season. Dustin Tokarski seems ready to follow his lead, and rekindle a little of last season’s playoff magic, with a 41-save win over the Florida Panthers. Rookie Jacob de la Rose is adjusting to the NHL life – it’s tougher than the AHL, but he loves it. “This is what you work for; this is where you want to be,” he says, happy that he made it to the big leagues.
The team has been putting in work to get into postseason mode. Sometimes it pays off – Dale Weise’s hustle earned him first star in a 4-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Price, often the reason why the team wins, credits Weise and his other teammates for their “heart and spirit.” Other times, the hard work doesn’t lead to a win. A loss in Tampa frustrated the Habs – it seemed like one mistake after another, despite their best efforts.
Montreal’s got other stars. Namely, the city’s CWHL team, who have entered into a partnership with the Canadiens and their sponsors. It’s been a long time coming, says Canadiens COO Kevin Gilmore, who has worked on this deal for nearly a year. Charline Labonté, CWHL player and Olympic gold medalist, is proud to be a part of this deal because it will help elevate women’s hockey, and hopefully help to provide salaries for the women who work full-time jobs as well as playing hockey at an elite level. Passion for hockey is what fuels players, regardless of how much they make, and Labonté is grateful for this partnership. Gilmore hopes that it will help inspire more girls and women to play hockey, saying that enrollment in women’s hockey is ten times lower than it is in Ontario.
Speaking of female hockey players…
Hockey is all about goals. As seen in the NHLPA’s Goals and Dreams effort, which held an event at the Canadiens’ practice facility in Brossard. The NHLPA donated equipment to boys and girls in need, through the Deux-Montagnes Police Force Hockey Program. The children were outfitted with their new equipment and got to hit the ice at Brossard, supervised by Mike Weaver, Tomas Plekanec, Lars Eller, Brendan Gallagher, and Manny Malhotra (who had fun joking around with one of the kids, trying to get him some TV airtime.) One of the coaches of the young boys and girls took pride in seeing them out on the ice, recalling how some of them could barely skate when they started the program and now had developed into well-rounded hockey players. This seems to make the Habs players very happy – they’re having a great time sharing their love of sport with these kids. With one exception – one boy, who’s been collecting autographs from all the players, asks Plekanec to sign a card. Plekanec looks at the card and sees that it’s already been autographed – by Lars Eller. Plekanec’s reaction to seeing his own card autographed by Eller is priceless. Too bad we didn’t get to see Eller signing the card.
Best bits. A choice quote from the CWHL press conference: “It’s so essential for little girls to know and believe that they can choose to be whatever they want to be in life.”
