Captain Suzuki Setting Example for His Teammates

During Friday’s podcast, Cowan mentioned that players like Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey learned their French by spending their summers in Montreal with many of their French Canadian teammates. Now, players like Suzuki and Evans are doing the same, which rubs off on other teammates. It’s also a big thing to see European players like Laine and Demidov choose to stay here rather than head back overseas.

Over the next few years, we may even see more players like Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky stick around to form even better bonds with their teammates to create a winning environment.

The fact that the Habs players from the 1970s used to tour Quebec as a softball team in the summer helped the Canadiens players form a bond that created the dynasty that won 6 Stanley Cups over 9 seasons between 1971 and 1979.

Sure, superstars help a lot, but the NHL’s best teams are built through chemistry. The more players who stay in Montreal, the more chemistry this team will have going forward, which will lead to more success. Suzuki’s example seems to rub off on more and more players each summer. If this core of Canadiens players wants to capture the 25th Stanley Cup in team history, maybe the plan should be that more players follow suit and stay in Montreal to practice during the summer.

One of the best days at Brossard was the Friday before Suzuki’s wedding in Montreal, where most of the team skated as if it were a scheduled game day skate. In some way, it may have been requested by the captain, who it’s clear has all the respect of his teammates, whether they are older or younger than him. Suzuki is someone who demands respect, and everyone follows when he does something. When all is set and done, the 26-year-old captain could go down as one of the best leaders in the Habs’ history that goes over 115 years. One thing is for sure: he has already proven to be the best captain since Saku Koivu left in 2009.