For those whose French language skills are rusty or non-existent, here's a transcript, with my own rough translation.
“I took a lot of pleasure in being with the youngsters in Hamilton the last two seasons, helping them develop. You have to be demanding though, it’s a big step from the AHL to the NHL, there’s no time to waste. Jarred Tinordi will evidently play very soon in the NHL, I won’t be surprised that he’ll win his job (make his place) with the Grand Club this season.
“He’s a player who in the AHL is capable of dominating, has dominated the league. He’s a big man, defensive style, can play physically, has good skating ability for his size. Even playing with the puck in the AHL, he’s not bad, that’s the aspect that he has to improve, his breakout passes (“sa relance”), his decision making with the puck.
“He needs to manage his emotions, since in the AHL there’s more margin for error, but in the NHL there’s more pressure, he needs to deal with this pressure, and if he does, he’ll be of great service to the Canadiens.
“I’m confident that he’ll begin the season in Montréal, he’s a mature guy, he’s certainly going to train very hard this summer.
(Asked about the K.O. he suffered in a fight against Andrey Petan): “That’s not a big deal. He’s a man, he knows the risks involved, he’s going to continue to do his part, play his role. He’s very mature, he’s not a kid (C’est un monsieur). He knows his job, he’s going to continue to do it. He might have to adjust his fighting technique, but he’s going to have a long NHL career if you ask me.”
(Asked about the difference in the AHL from when he was playing in Sherbrooke to nowadays): “It’s the organizational support (l’encadrement). It’s practically a mini-NHL. The support they get is exceptional, in every way, on every level.”
(Asked about the maturity, the mindset of the players): “We had good guys, with good personalities, who are there to develop their game. We have lots of good young forwards who are knocking on the NHL door. Will it be this season or the one after that, I can’t say…”
Charles Hudon: “He’s really close, an excellent season, a player with a remarkable hockey sense, good ability."
Sven Andrighetto: “Lots of speed.”
Daniel Carr: “A little bit like Gallagher, a poison around the net.”
Gabriel Dumont: “A veteran who can always help the Canadiens.”
Christian Thomas: “Maybe.”
So again, we need to take our time with our big lug, we invested two picks to get him with a trade-up, spent a lot of time and energy developing him, let's allow him to put in another huge offseason of workouts, and come into camp next fall and establish himself.
Big defencemen take longer. Zdeno Chara and Larry Robinson are just two examples of many. These guys need time to adapt to the league, grow into their bodies, but when they do, it's worth the wait.
About Mr. Lebeau and his situation, he explained in a previous RDS appearance, without going into details, that he and Sylvain Lefebvre didn’t have a great rapport or working relationship, and that the Head Coach decided to not renew his contract now that it expired.
I had been surprised when he was first hired, he seemed light on experience, but some observers thought he might be creative, an original thinker, etc. So I didn’t mind if he got a shot, but it obviously didn’t work out, both in terms of a harmonious coaching staff, or in terms of tangible results.
Whether I liked the idea of hiring him, liked him personally, he had very poor results with the offence and the powerplay generally in Hamilton. The Bulldogs were dead last in powerplay efficacy with 11.5%.
I’m in favour of Canadiens coaches Dan Lacroix and Clément Jodoin walking the plank because they couldn’t fix the powerplay all of last season. Not in terms of punishing them, I bear them no ill will, but just to make a change, try something different.
So to be consistent, I can’t fault the organization/Sylvain Lefebvre for wanting to make a go of it with a new assistant.
A few kids speak positively about him though and his teaching methods, so maybe we’ll see that he had a positive influence on the development of some of the forwards who played under him in Hamilton.
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