Mike Matheson has had enough.
For several months, the Quebec defender of the Montreal Canadiens has lived under constant pressure, exacerbated by incessant criticism on social networks.
After a difficult performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the attacks against him started again, painfully reminding him that he has become the unloved Habs since the arrival of Lane Hutson.
Tired of constantly having to prove his worth and seeing his name dragged through the mud at the slightest misstep, Matheson decided to empty his heart.
“It’s very difficult when you open your cell phone and there are a hundred people telling you that you’re bad,” he admitted to journalists after training on Wednesday, a day which ironically coincided with a discussion on mental health.
A raw confession, which shows to what extent the pressure has become unbearable for the Montreal defender.
Matheson knows he lost his spot on the power play in large part because of incessant criticism from fans early in the season.
Accused of slowing down the “power play”, of not being a real quarterback, and even of being an obstacle to the development of Hutson, he had to accept a demotion which was imposed on him by both Martin St-Louis and by popular pressure.
And yet, even if he has bounced back with solid performances recently, he has no room for error.
Just one difficult game, like the one against Tampa, and the criticism came again.
On social networks, supporters did not hesitate to call him a “burden”, a “free rider” and a “finished player”.
A situation that weighs heavily on him.
“Sometimes it’s easy to forget that we’re human beings”he added, the features drawn by the mental exhaustion that this constant pressure generates.
The defender did not hide his frustration with this situation. He, a Montrealer proud to wear the CH jersey, today feels misunderstood and unfairly singled out.
He is tired of having to deal with criticism which, according to him, does not reflect the reality of his commitment to the team.
Matheson knows he’s not perfect, but he’s convinced he still brings significant value to the defensive squad.
“We are a little too focused on these matters”he summarized, expressing his wish that hockey players, but also people in general, take a step back from the merciless world of social networks.
This omnipresent toxicity has become a source of stress that goes well beyond hockey.
Martin St-Louis, always concerned about the well-being of his players, recognized the difficulty of managing this constant media pressure.
“I ask them not to watch this, as much as possible”he said.
But despite this advice, Matheson, like so many others, cannot help but see the criticism, insults, and speculation about his future.
“To be in a good place, to do the things you have to do to reach your full potential, you have to put on headphones and blinders”added the head coach, aware that it is difficult for a player to turn a blind eye to what is said about him in a city as intense as Montreal.
Matheson is not only at war with online comments, he also has to face the reality of the locker room.
The arrival of Lane Hutson changed the situation. Hutson is young, dynamic, and seen as the team’s future on the blue line, a future that appears not to include Matheson in the long term.
This feeling of being gradually pushed aside, despite his efforts, eats away at the defender from the inside. He is tired of constantly having to prove that he deserves his place on this team, tired of seeing his role diminished without clear explanations, tired of being perceived as a problem rather than a solution.
After all, he remains the most used defender on his team. But the fans treat him like nothing.
-Matheson will have to quickly find a way to deal with this pressure, because the criticism will not stop. If he wants to regain the trust of the fans and his coach, he will have no choice but to continue to deliver impeccable performances and block out the ambient noise.
But the path is complicated and he knows that the slightest misstep will be amplified and scrutinized.
It remains to be seen if the Canadian will choose to give him a real second chance or if he will become, like so many others before him, a victim of the merciless machine that is hockey in Montreal.
For now, Matheson is trying to cling to the hope that, despite the criticism, he can still prove he belongs on this team.
But it is clearer than ever that the battle is far from over.
Mike Matheson’s current situation affects not only the player, but also those around him, in particular his wife, who has to deal every day with the torrent of criticism directed against her husband.
Living in Montreal, a city where hockey is much more than just a sport, means being constantly in the spotlight.
Each performance is relentlessly scrutinized, analyzed and commented on, and when the results do not live up to expectations, the pressure becomes unbearable.
For Matheson’s family, this climate must be particularly trying. Waking up every morning knowing that a part of Quebec is gratuitously angry with its man, sometimes with unjustified virulence, is a burden that few people can really understand.
What is even more difficult to accept is that Matheson has been, and remains, a key element of the Canadian’s defense.
He may not score as many points as others, but his defensive contribution and experience are essential to the stability of the team.
Yet it seems his role is constantly downplayed, as if his behind-the-scenes efforts don’t matter.
We too often forget that behind the athlete there is a human being, a husband, a father, who gives everything for his team, even when the criticism rains down.
His wife must endure every attack, every negative comment, while supporting her husband as best she can and taking care of her children, with admirable strength and courage.
But how long can she last in the face of this eternal pressure?
Seeing the man she loves give his body and soul for the Canadian, while being criticized excessively and often gratuitously, must be a particularly difficult ordeal.
Matheson, despite the ups and downs, remains an important leader on this team. His involvement, his discreet leadership, and his presence in the locker room make him an indispensable player.
It deserves to be recognized for its true value, not to be constantly singled out for errors which, in fact, are part of sport.
It is time for fans to realize that behind each Habs jersey, there is a family who suffers the backlash from criticism and who, in silence, experiences the pressure with him.
Today you could feel him on edge. Not the NHL defenseman, but the human being.
The man, usually so composed and professional, showed an emotional fatigue that was unmistakable.
His eyes, his tone, everything in his attitude screamed deep fed up.
It was no longer just about hockey, but about a man fighting to keep his head above water in a sea of never-ending criticism.
Behind every pass, every presence on the ice, there is an invisible weight, a pressure that goes beyond the scope of sport and which, today, seemed on the verge of crushing it.
Social networks can indeed weigh down a man…and his family…
