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In Hainsight: Matheson Feels Right at Home |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
Playing in Montreal comes with an extra dose of pressure for Quebecers normally, but Mike Matheson looked unaffected by the phenomenon this year. In fact, hearing him talk about his experience in Montreal this season, he’s loving it, feels right at home and he had some interesting things to say.
About the Canadiens’ difficult season, he admitted that the team is currently in a place where players don’t really like to be, but he acknowledged that the unwavering fan support made a difference for him and his teammates. Speaking about how challenging it is to be on the losing side so often, the blueliner said that he thought it was amazing that the building was still rocking to start the second period when the Canadiens were down 3 or 4-0. Clearly, he feels that the fans’ energy has had a big impact on the team and has helped the players stay in a positive mindset. This kind of talk also goes to show that the idea that a market like Montreal was not ready to embrace a rebuild or wouldn’t “go for it” was false. Of course, this was only year 2 of the said rebuild and there’s no telling how long the fans will be patient for, but so far, so good.
In the interview, Matheson also praised his coach Martin St-Louis for being able to relate with every single player on the team and for taking one on one time with every player. He mentioned that it’s the first time he has had a coach who worries about every player individually and gives them all some pointers as to what they should be working on to improve their own game. “A team is only as good as the sum of its parts” Matheson added, he seems to really enjoy this new way of coaching and think it’s more beneficial than just talking about team forecheck for instance. Hearing him say that I couldn’t help but think to when Kent Hughes was hired. In his first media availability, the general manager had made a point of saying that development isn’t just about the young players, according to him, veterans could also continue improving, providing they received the proper support and teaching. Kudos to the GM, it seems like he’s picked the right teacher for the job and Matheson is living proof of that.
Throughout the season he looked to be improving, he was more assertive on the ice, his decision making was faster, and it all showed in his offensive input. In just 48 games, he put up 34 points, 3 more than he did in 74 games last season with the Penguins. On a team that gave up so many goals, he also managed to finish his season with a +7 rating and while the plus minus stat doesn’t tell the whole story, it still shows at least in part, the kind of impact a player can have on the ice.
This offseason, Matheson has already visited a primary school in Montreal and given his time to the kids, he has always though it important to be part of the community where he played, but even more so in Montreal because of how much of a big deal the team is to the city. A native of the West Island, he decided to rent in the old port this year with his wife and son and he has clearly enjoyed the experience as he never used to go downtown back when he lived around these parts.
As I wrote earlier this month, Matheson has been one of my 3 stars of the year with the Canadiens and it seems to me that he’s destined to playing a big part in this rebuilt and I’m glad he’s embracing it as much as he is.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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