Jakub Dobes: The Real Reasons Behind His Media Hiatus

This morning, I wrote an article titled “Jakub Dobes: Twice as Good Since Marco Marciano's Arrival.” We're watching a true No. 1 goaltender emerge right before our eyes and blossom behind the young Habs team.

Dobes, who was said to be more erratic than the CAQ's third-link plan just a few months ago, has, over the past few games, become a calm, comforting, and reassuring goalie.

Off the ice, however, things are tougher for the young Czech goalie. No, I'm not talking about parties, his personal life, or nights out on the town…

Last night, after the game, the team's beat reporters wanted to speak with THE star of the evening… the one who stopped over 40 shots and gave a superb interview to Marc Denis at center ice in the Bell Centre.

However, the person in question was unavailable, the media was told. Note that “we” refers to the Montreal Canadiens' communications department.

Why? Officially, the media was informed that Dobes would be taking a media hiatus until further notice. That's what Guillaume Lefrançois wrote in his postgame column last night.

“We would have liked to know how the man himself was feeling, but the Habs announced after the game that he would be taking a media hiatus until further notice.” – Guillaume Lefrançois

This afternoon, Jean-Nicolas Blanchet (Journal de Montréal) published an article in which he reports that Dobes is still nervous about speaking to the media.

“No one is asking him to calm down. It's just his nature. It's more that talking to the media makes Dobes very nervous. Not that he hates it. And you can't say he seems uncomfortable […] it's a struggle for him, and he's taking a break. I've had this confirmed.” – Jean-Nicolas Blanchet

Blanchet even goes so far as to speak of courage and maturity, citing mental health issues to explain this decision.

“While some might see this as a sign of weakness or immaturity, I see it more as a sign of courage and maturity. Mental health remains somewhat of a taboo in the NHL. To see a young player who recognizes his limits and decides to act accordingly—I find that reassuring.”

Is that the real reason for his media hiatus? If so, let's hope he can handle it quickly and that his performance on the ice is never affected. Someone who experiences too much anxiety generally doesn't perform at 100% in their job. And Dobes is now the goaltender tasked with taking the team—and its fans—as far as possible this spring. If he were to develop as much anxiety as Jonathan Drouin and Patrik Laine…

Except that when talking to reporters covering the team today, several mentioned to me that they doubt the real reason behind the goalie's unavailability last night after the game.

He was doing great during the game, with Marc Denis, in the locker room (in front of the Habs' social media cameras)…

Many believe the Habs simply want to protect Dobes from himself. Sometimes he says too much, Jakub. At least, too much in the eyes of the Habs' communications department.

Remember: he said he didn't deserve to go back to Laval even though he was barely playing over the holidays, he praised Marco Marciano so much before the Olympics that Éric Raymond (indirectly) looked like an out-of-touch coach, he mentioned last Saturday that Islanders players had said unacceptable things on the bench, and he cried in front of the cameras after a loss early in the season.

Many feel that the Habs' communications department is fed up with Dobes' outbursts… and someone even told me that last night, the Canadiens told him: “We're no longer allowing Dobes to meet with the media. We'd like him to behave better in front of you. He's gotten the team into trouble several times this season.”

That colleague also admitted to me that he's seen communications staff signaling to Dobes not to answer certain questions this season.

That's possible, but at the same time, if it really is an anxiety issue, we need to take all of this seriously.

Ultimately, I hope above all that Dobes is doing well, that he can continue to fulfill his role as the team's #1 goalie… and that we don't hide behind a false mental health story to avoid seeing a young goalie be transparent with the media.

By trying to control everything, we often end up controlling nothing at all… causing consequences worse than if we had simply been honest and transparent.