The Habs Held Practice Outside On Friday

The Canadiens also invited 350 kids from Marc Favreau Elementary School to watch the practice, allowing the kids to watch their heroes practice up close. This isn’t the first time that Habs players have gone onto the outdoor rink that was built by the Montreal Canadiens Foundation, as there have been many different team events that have taken place on this ice. However, it was the first-ever official practice to be held at the rink, which makes this practice extra special.

Not only was it fun for the kids who got to see their idols up close in the -15 weather on Friday, but the players themselves really enjoyed going back to their youth of playing with their family and friends on the outdoor rink. These moments are times that players can really appreciate the privilege of being able to play the game of hockey as their job.

Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, and Mike Matheson talked about how they grew up learning how to play hockey on similar outdoor rinks during the post-practice interview. Hutson discussed how he used to pretend to be Patrick Kane making silky moves on the ice, and now that he is in the NHL, it has come full circle. Meanwhile, Matheson spoke more about how amazing it is that the Foundation was able to build a rink that looks this good for kids around the city to come play an outdoor pickup game.

In fact, two of the youngest players on the team, Hutson and Ivan Demidov, previously went out on the ice to play with neighbourhood kids during the Christmas break to fill their need to play hockey every single day. That in itself is what makes the rink so special, as really anyone can come play, and there is a chance that you can bump into a Canadiens player practicing on the ice.

As for the actual practice on Friday, 21 players hit the outdoor rink, with only Alexandre Texier, Oliver Kapanen, Juraj Slafkovsky, and captain Nick Suzuki missing because of being in Milan for the Olympics. This included Alex Newhook being in a regular jersey for the first time since fracturing his ankle on November 13th. With that being said, his return to the lineup may be closer than many realize. This means roster decisions will need to be made sooner rather than later.

Once he is ready for game action, he should easily get into the lineup, which, if everyone is healthy, could shake up the roster in a way that may not have been expected, such as Brendan Gallagher being on the outside of the lineup on most nights. Only time will tell when he will be ready, but since it’s likely going to be after the trade deadline on March 6th, there shouldn’t be any need to send a player down to Laval, given that teams can start having more than 23 players on their roster.