I don’t know if it’s because I’m in my mid-forties, because the players are closer in age to my children, or because I’ve had a more difficult time between the two ears myself, but I am now more sensitive to the mental health of athletes.
The signs of impatience shown by Laine on Friday in training worry me a little. This worries me because the Finn maintained, during his first conversation with the Montreal media, that he worked a lot on this aspect during his stay in the NHL player assistance program.
“I learned things about myself. There are always going to be things that happen to you, adversity. I haven’t always been the best at handling this. Now, I navigate better through difficult times, I see the glass more half full,” he declared.
Photo by Ben Pelosse
It was precisely this tendency to feel sorry for himself that got him out of Winnipeg and Columbus. Eventually, his teammates found him heavy.
Obviously, when you fight demons, you are never safe from a relapse. Except that now, it seems to me that it’s early to be angry because it doesn’t work to our liking.
Especially since Laine has come a long way. Before Monday’s preseason game, he had not played a single game since mid-December due to shoulder surgery.
So many reversals of fortune meant that Laine was only able to train three times before arriving in Montreal. It might take him a little time to find his bearings again.
There is time left
Moreover, Martin St-Louis had taken care to warn everyone on this subject by saying that they had to take their time, that his new protégé might not be ready for the first match.
“I have to be patient. I was a little furious today,” Laine admitted after Monday’s meeting.
Remarks essentially identical to those he made yesterday when affirming that he was demanding of himself.
There’s nothing wrong with that, but training camp is barely a week old. There are still 12 days left before the start of the season.
As Carey Price once told us, almost 14 years ago to the day: chill outmy Pat! Relaxed. There’s still plenty of time left.
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