Laval – In this almost perfect start to the Laval Rocket season, Sean Farrell’s statistics stand out like a rare black spot in a freshly exfoliated face.
You have to go to the bottom of the team’s scoring list to find the name of the former fourth-round pick. Farrell is the only one, apart from goalkeepers Jakub Dobeš and Connor Hughes, who still does not have a point on his record. He is also one of two players to have a negative defensive record. The other is Chris Jandric, a defender currently with the Trois-Rivières Lions.
Eight games don’t make a season, but they still represent a significant sample size for a player with an offensive profile like Farrell. In his first full season in professional hockey last year, the former Harvard University star forward never went more than four games without scoring. Even slowed by injuries, he found a way to produce 28 points in 49 games.
“It’s obviously a little frustrating,” agrees the man who celebrated his 23rd birthday last Saturday. I could have at least had a few favorable jumps, a puck hitting my skate or something, but nothing like that has happened to me yet. I continue to move forward, one match at a time, telling myself that it can only get better. »
The arrival of Pascal Vincent at the helm of the Rocket is considered a major factor in explaining the team’s early success. The 53-year-old trainer is the most seasoned coach among all those who have passed through Laval to lead the Canadiens’ school club. Some have found in his methods a perfect match with their personality, in his words the right advice to flourish.
Farrell is one of those for whom the adjustment is more difficult.
“It’s different since he’s been here, I think. With Pascal, I try to work on the details of a match. » Examples? Farrell explains that he needs to be “a little better on the forecheck” and more aggressive in his battles for the puck. Defensive actions, without the puck, which are less natural for this modest-sized playmaker.
“Those are the kinds of things we have to do to gain his trust, to make him play. We can see that with him, the guys who play well, the guys who produce, they play a lot more. »
A few minutes later, Vincent takes Farrell’s place in front of our recorder. In a fascinating conversation during which he talks at length about the philosophy and values that guide his actions, he slips in this sentence: “I’m a guy who is patient when there is effort. When there is no effort, my patience level is very, very low. »
When the discussion turns specifically to Farrell’s drought, the coach returns to this passage.
“His work ethic is excellent. He has opportunities during matches, eventually it will pay off. Currently it doesn’t pay. But his work ethic, I can’t fault him. So the rest, I don’t worry too much about it. »
“So you’re going to be patient with him?” », we ask.
” Absolutely. It is also part of the results. Maybe he doesn’t have the points we’re talking about, but I’m not worried. »
“There’s a bug that’s going to come in”
“When you don’t score, it doesn’t mean you’re not playing well. It’s just that the puck doesn’t fit,” agrees Brandon Gignac. The veteran believes he speaks with knowledge of the facts. His statistical contribution is limited to four assists after seven games.
“And it’s starting to play in my head,” he confesses. But in another sense, I tell myself that at some point I will have a match where everything will fit. It’s like a handicap in golf. At some point it always comes back to average. The more you shoot, at some point there will be a soft spot. For Sean, it’s just about staying focused in his game. He’s so talented I can’t believe he’s going to have zero points this year. It will come back. »
It may be easier for Gignac, who will soon be 27 and has seven professional seasons under his belt, to sort through his emotions. He realizes that the beast is more difficult to tame for a young person who has always defined himself by his offensive contribution.
“It’s very long mentally sometimes. He was left out once this year too. It’s definitely not fun, it’s not cool for him. But like I say, it will come back. Everything will rebalance. It’s the start of the year, there’s no need to stress. For him it must be mentally heavy, but he is very positive. I’m sitting next to him in the room, we laugh together. When you go through a period like this, it’s almost funny because there’s nothing that works. »
It would be a lie to say that Farrell was in the mood for celebration after five minutes of answering questions about his lethargy. But he wasn’t just brooding, either.
“There were stretches last year where we were losing a lot and it was just miserable. It’s good to have a winning culture, to be part of a successful team. The guys around me play well, that can only help me improve. Hoping this will unlock for me eventually. »
