For many hockey fans, the name Maveric Lamoureux will always be associated with his parents. The first search suggestion in YouTube, after its name, is not the usual “ goal » or « fight ”, but rather “parents”.
Posted at 3:16 p.m.
All this of course starts from this viral video of the reaction of the young man’s parents after his selection at 29e rank of the 2022 draft, by the defunct Arizona Coyotes.
Watch the video
In the locker room of the team now based in Utah, it seems that this episode is well known, at least if we rely on the very frank laugh of forward Jack McBain when we mentioned this moment, after the morning training Tuesday.
“The guys saw it, but we don’t tease him too much,” McBain said, after regaining his senses. It was a special moment for him and his family. »
For Lamoureux, this moment obviously remains amusing. “It didn’t bother me at all. It gave them a lot of visibility! », joked the colossus with the contagious smile.
But his parents are obviously much more than this moment. They will have a front row seat to see their son take to the Bell Center ice rink for the first time on Tuesday, during a duel against the Canadian.
His father, Patrick, played three seasons with the Granby Bisons in the 1990s. “He is living his dream as a hockey player through me,” Lamoureux said during a busy press scrum. He always wanted to reach this level, but never could. To see that I’m there, to see his guy at the Bell Centre, he might have tears, he’ll be happy. »
Father’s best advice? “Keep your funkeep your smile, have fun and be yourself. » Advice that Lamoureux seems to apply to the letter.
The dream
Things have changed in two years since July 7, 2022 at the Bell Center. The Coyotes now play in Utah and Lamoureux has gone from a promising junior-aged defenseman to an NHL player.
“I’ve been watching games here since I was 5 or 6 years old, so it will be special to play on this rink,” he sent.
The lover will be easy to identify. At 6’6, he is indeed hard to miss. Otherwise, his number, 10, is not insignificant in the surrounding area. His first two picks were 13, already taken during his first camp, and 7, taken for Keith Tkachuk. “When I was drafted, Guy Lafleur had just died, so I took 10 for him,” he explained.
Lamoureux will therefore see his number 10 and Lafleur’s name on the ceiling when he looks up. He will, however, do it from the bench, to begin with. We specify this because it is not uncommon for coaches of visiting teams to include Quebecers in their starting six, so that they are on the ice during the national anthems, also so that Michel Lacroix announces their name in the starting training.
“It’s been 20 matches since we started with [Mikhail] Sergachev et [Olli] Maatta. If our starting team changed sometimes, we would. But on a team, you can’t treat guys differently. […] One day, he will have his moment of glory and one day, he will be among the starters in Montreal, but it will not be tonight,” said Utah head coach André Tourigny.
Unexpected beginnings
PHOTO GENE J. PUSKAR, ASSOCIATED PRESS
André Tourigny, Utah head coach
Lamoureux’s journey has been strewn with pitfalls since the 2022 draft. He was limited to 35 and 39 games during the last two seasons in Drummondville, the result in particular of mononucleosis and operations on both shoulders.
“When he got to camp, honestly, it looked like he wasn’t ready,” Tourigny agreed.
It was therefore in Tucson that he began his season, until the right flank of the Utah defense fell to pieces. Right-handers Sean Durzi and John Marino were injured, opening the door for a Lamoureux recall. In the words of the 20-year-old, “the stars aligned.”
After just four games in the AHL, was he really ready? “Ready not ready, it’s the NHL,” retorts Tourigny. You throw him in the bath and watch him do his thing. But he doesn’t just survive, he helps us win. »
In 14 games, he has 3 points, shows a differential of +3 and plays 16 minutes per game, alongside veteran Ian Cole. The latter sees in Lamoureux a sort of Jay Bouwmeester, his former teammate with the Blues. A rather flattering comparison, considering that Bouwmeester played 1,240 games in the NHL.
“Both take big strides, they are not offensive like Victor Hedman, but they still have the talent to make plays and be effective in both directions of the game,” described Cole.
Lamoureux is even entitled to occasional shorthanded appearances.
“We didn’t put it in [désavantage] for the fununderlines Tourigny. It’s because he’s gaining ground in every match, he’s gaining experience. Sometimes experience is painful, it takes mistakes to learn. »
That said, Lamoureux has himself disqualified from several numerical disadvantages since he comes at 3e rank in the NHL with 40 penalty minutes. He certainly obtained 20 during the same sequence when he came to blows with Pierre-Olivier Joseph, of the Blues, three weeks ago. But he also received five minor penalties in his last two games.
“He’s big and when he hits, he hits the upper body. When you are young, you don’t have the mulligansrecalled Tourigny. These are the basics of the trade, but it’s not a question of effort or intentions. »
