Follow the Laval Rocket’s first home game Friday evening from 7 p.m. on RDS and on RDS.ca.
Pascal Vincent is not new to playing behind the bench of a professional hockey team. And yet, he admitted to feeling nervous on Friday, a few hours before the Laval Rocket’s local opener against the Syracuse Crunch at Place Bell.
Already, last Saturday, Vincent admitted his eagerness to lead his first Rocket game at “home”, which was born in Laval a little over 53 years ago. By Friday morning, after Vincent had completed a brief training session, the feeling had not dissipated. Quite the contrary.
“I can’t wait to be in our building, I can’t wait to live the experience with the fans, I can’t wait to see how it will all unfold,” he said.
“At the end of the day, as I told the players earlier, the whole pre-match ‘show’, all these things, we are privileged to be part of it. But our ‘show’, the reason why we exist, is when the puck drops. I can’t wait for the match to start in our building and to see how it all plays out. We don’t know how it’s going to go but I know the guys are excited. »
Vincent already knew that this first outing at Place Bell behind the Rocket bench would become one of the most significant moments of his coaching career.
“My first game behind the bench of a National League team, in Winnipeg, was against the Canadiens, it was game number 1 of the season, it was an important moment. My first game as head coach in Columbus is an important moment. My first victory as head coach, and this one here is in the top-5 for sure. »
For Vincent, this match is all the more attractive because it will pit him against head coach Joël Bouchard, a long-time friend.
In fact, the two men will face each other in a sort of doubleheader since they will also meet on Saturday afternoon, also at Place Bell.
“(Joël), he’s a good friend, we’ve known each other for a long time. We played together as juniors, we led together as juniors. When you see guys like (Benoit) Groulx — Bouchard’s predecessor for seven seasons with the Crunch — Joël, Quebecers, that these people have success, it’s always pleasant. When you lead against each other, it’s a great challenge,” described Vincent.
The excitement that Vincent felt was in no way attenuated by the news of the recall of defender Logan Mailloux, which fell at the same time as the Rocket head coach began his discussion with journalists.
« [Jeudi] evening during the game, I received a call that it was possible and this morning, I was told that Logan was recalled. So, ‘good for him’. He deserves it. That’s why we’re here. Honestly, we could approach him in different ways, but he was recalled, he deserves it and we are happy for him,” Vincent commented.
