MONTRÉAL – Maveric Lamoureux’s first game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Center could have taken a much more negative turn for the Utah Hockey Club defender.
With a little less than 10 minutes left in the first period, the 20-year-old Quebecer tried to block a shot from the top of the slot by Joel Armia, but the puck hit his left hand. Visibly in pain, he returned to the bench, then headed to the locker room.
Fortunately, Lamoureux was able to return to the game at the end of the first period, and he was able to complete the game. But he came out with some marks, he who was wearing a bandage on his hand when he met the journalists after the meeting.
“No matter what happened, I was going to finish the match. I would have persisted with the ‘trainers’,” said Lamoureux, who confirmed that he should not have any after-effects from this throw.
“The hand is fine. It’s going to be okay. »
The young defenseman finished the game with two shots and a hit in 14:57 of play, in addition to having received a penalty for hooking which possibly prevented Christian Dvorak from scoring a goal which would have given a lead 3-2 to the Canadiens, at 9:18 of the third period.
A gesture that his head coach, André Tourigny, should not blame him.
“It was a penalty to prevent a chance to score, so it’s correct,” said the native of Nicolet, who however noticed that nervousness had gripped Lamoureux from the start of the match. “He was visibly nervous, definitely. He’s a guy who has sure hands, he’s not a guy who makes balls with the puck. At the start of the match he was nervous. He didn’t play badly, he did that well, but he is capable of even better. »
Can we blame Lamoureux for being nervous, he who counted on several guests in the stands? Barely two years ago, it was at the Bell Center that he was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes 29th overall in the first round. And not so long ago, it was as a young fan that he visited the legendary amphitheater to encourage the Habs.
“There was stress, for sure, but a lot of joy. When I got on the ice after the warm-up, with the people shouting and the music, it was normally in the stands that I experienced this. I had a few chills, that’s for sure. It was a beautiful moment to experience it here. »
