The Canadian | Emil Heineman, from the court to the Bell Center

There are many parents who make sacrifices to help their child in sport. This week, it’s Emil Heineman’s turn to return the favor to his father.

Håkan Heineman was one of the few curious people who attended the Canadian’s training Wednesday in Brossard.

The man who looks like Guy Mongrain exudes happiness. He exclaims as soon as his son scores, takes out his phone to film some exercises where it’s number 51’s turn to perform.

“It’s fantastic that he’s in the NHL!” “, exclaims Håkan Heineman, in conversation with The Press during training.

He’s living every father’s dream. He took time off from his job as a production manager in a knäckebröd factory, typically Swedish biscuits, to attend four Canadian matches. Father and son will also go to hockey together; Wednesday evening, they will attend the Laval-Rochester duel at Place Bell.

“Hockey is crazy around here. People are really passionate. At the restaurant, supporters recognize Emil and take photos with him,” he says, still amazed.

Håkan Heineman will return home on Friday. His son was shut out in all three games he attended. This Thursday’s duel, against the Pittsburgh Penguins, will therefore be his last chance to score in front of dad. Other than training, let’s agree.

For this man who interrupts his night’s sleep at 1 a.m. to watch his son’s matches, it would obviously be a nice reward to see him score in person.

“He has always followed me in my tournaments,” said Emil Heineman, as he left the ice rink. He and my mother drove me everywhere. My mother came last month and now it’s him. I’m glad they could come. »

Shooting and shooting

Heineman is surrounded by hockey players in his family. His brother and two half-brothers each have their own profile on the Elite-Prospects site. There are also five of his cousins, two uncles and a grandfather.

Not his father, on the other hand, who is more into cross-country skiing and orienteering. Håkan is, however, a hockey fanatic. “He started skating in the yard, I used to have a skating rink every winter. I put skates on his feet at 2 years old and he started playing at 3 years old,” he recalls.

“He and Carl, his older brother, played on the same team. They started at 8 a.m. Emil was always dressed, ready to play. Carl did not have this desire on a daily basis. But Emil still wanted to train. You can have the talent, but you also have to work. »

It was in the court that Heineman developed his wrist shot which allowed him to end up with 6 goals in 27 games, astonishing numbers for a 23-year-old rookie with limited minutes. In winter, it was on the ice rink; the rest of the year it was on a wooden board specially designed for shooting.

“I broke a few nets and a few windows,” admits the young man. But we laugh about it now! »

Aside from his goal scored on November 27 in Columbus, a play on which he cut to the net and went to the goalkeeper’s semi-circle, his five other successes were the result of lightning shots taken from a certain distance. He hits the target on 20% of his shots so far (6 goals on 30 shots).

This is because, according to Martin St-Louis, he is capable of drawing without warning. “It’s fast, he doesn’t have a long presentation,” explains the Canadian head coach. And the puck moves a little before he shoots. So he changes his angle, not by much, but just enough for the goalkeeper to leave more holes. It’s not a technique that many players use, but his shot is tiring. »

Despite all the hockey players in his entourage, Heineman believes he was essentially self-taught to perfect his shot. The recipe: hours of training in the backyard, but also videos of the best. He cites his fellow citizen Filip Forsberg, the former player Jakob Silfverberg, as well as a certain Patrik Laine.

“I remember a penalty shot early in his career where Patty shot rather than attempt a fake, and he sent the puck straight into the top corner. » He didn’t specify it at the time, but his description sounds a lot like this goal.

“I was trying to imitate him. He used the flexibility of his stick really well. But for my part, the work mainly came from me. I was pulling, pulling, pulling. »

After a third of the season, Heineman seems to have cemented his position in Montreal. As proof: he was removed from the lineup only once, and the team placed Rafaël Harvey-Pinard on waivers in order to keep the Swede in the squad. His shooting is obviously not the only criterion.

“His speed and size are obvious, but he has progressed in his understanding of the game,” judges Jake Evans, his center for eight games. He is excellent at forechecking. With his stick and his strength, he steals pucks, and doesn’t get pushed around too much, like Joel Armia. »

At a time when some wealthier parents are providing the best hockey schools for their children, there are still some cases like Heineman’s, players who have simply emerged from the middle class. Just watch Håkan Heineman grimace when he recounts the times he had to buy a new stick because a young Emil broke his during a match.

“There were four of us playing hockey. It’s hard for parents, recalls Emil Heineman. I always used used equipment from my older brothers, since I’m the youngest. But we didn’t live in poverty either. We were just a normal family from Sweden. »

More fear than harm for Evans

Jake Evans was back in practice Wednesday after experiencing a scare Monday. In overtime, he attempted a shot before falling in front of his rival Mason McTavish for a reason that is hard to understand. He got up with difficulty, his left arm dangling, to return to the bench, from where he watched the rest of the match without returning to the ice. “It was just a pinched nerve,” Evans said. At the time, I thought it would be really worse than that, but 20 minutes later, it was already fine. » On the other hand, forward Patrik Laine and defenseman Mike Matheson did not participate in training and were instead entitled to a day of treatment.