August is now in the past, September is in the present and soon, so too, will be the new hockey season.
Just over two weeks remain before the 2010-11 Canadiens -- along with the NHL’s 29 other clubs -- report for training camp. And as the calendar changed months on Wednesday, a handful of Habs hit the ice in preparation at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.
Brian Gionta, Hal Gill and newcomer Lars Eller were among those taking part in some drills and taking shots on an unidentified goalie.
“It’s nice to be back and ramping up for camp,” Gionta told RDS’ David Arsenault.
While the players are doing it now, back in June it was Canadiens fans getting ramped up when Jaroslav Halak was traded to St. Louis.
“As a player, you come back to camp prepared and you deal with the changes that are made. In the NHL, there are a lot of changes, a lot of turnover from year to year,” offered Gionta.
“We have confidence in Pricey, he’s a great goaltender. He’s young; he’s going to do well for us. We picked up Auld, which will be a good fit for Pricey, in terms of pushing him and learning from him.”
Gill admitted it’s tough to lose a teammate but, like Gionta, has full confidence that Price is capable of coming through for this team.
“I think we have to give him a chance to play and be a little more supportive of him, a little more than we were last year, as a team, and he’ll be alright. He’s a guy that can make plays for you,” he said.
Pressure on Price
It’s no secret the pressure will be on to do that. Between a disappointing 2009-10 campaign, fan reaction to the dispatching of Halak, and simply being in a city where hockey is king, 24/7/365, it’s there. But Price isn’t alone.
“We’re in Montreal, the heat’s on everyone,” noted Gill with a laugh.
“They (fans) were hard on him last year and I don’t think that was deserved. I think he’s a guy that, from what I saw last year, worked really hard on his game. Especially at the end, he was focused on doing the right thing,” reminded the veteran, who was key in steering the goalie in the right direction. “It’s hard for a young kid to come to Montreal and be THE guy. He handled it well and he’s doing a great job.”
The Canadiens’ goaltending situation might be more or less settled but one decision that has yet to be made is that of the next captain. Gionta and Gill each sported a regular “A” in their Habs debuts a season ago. Now the duo figures into the team’s core leadership group, with their names coming up as captaincy candidates.
Both admitted it would be an honour to be tabbed as captain but, Gill noted, within the room, the focus is more on leaders rather than letters.
“I don’t think it’s something, as a team, we’ve looked at. We’re all sharing the load as leaders and I think it’s important to have that through the year,” he said.
Lars Eller excited to be in Montreal
While Gill and Gionta already have a year under their belts, Eller is just starting to get a taste of it all. And so far, he’s feeling right at home at his new NHL address.
“It feels really good to be here. I have a great feeling about this place. When I come here, I feel like this is where I want to be for a lot of years,” revealed 13th overall pick in 2007.
It’s expected Eller will centre the third line but his mind isn’t on where he ultimately slots in. The goal for the Dane is simply to make the team and bring some skill, offence, energy and enthusiasm. And given how became a part of this Canadiens roster, he doesn’t expect it to be easy.
“Of course there’s going to be pressure -- there’s going to be pressure from the fans, there’s going to be pressure from the media, from everybody,” acknowledged Eller. “I’m going to put a lot of pressure on myself, too, and I try to think of it in a positive way. I think it’s good to have pressure on you. I think I can handle it.”
If you like this, check out:
* This day in Habs' birthdays history - Carey Price
* This day in Habs' birthdays history - Jean Beliveau
* Ex-Hab Halak to sign autographs for charity in Montreal
* Get hockey news & updates on Twitter
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