Canadiens getting big efforts from 'smaller' players
Martin St. Louis faced years of rejection before the Tampa Bay Lightning took a chance on him and opened the door for what became a Hall of Fame career.
The 5-foot-8 St. Louis was written off as too small and the Montreal Canadiens head coach takes pride that his success has paved the way for a future generation.
The Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-1at the Bell Centre Saturday to run their record to 2-1 and two of those players who might have been dismissed as too small have made big contributions to the NHL team's early success.
Cole Caufield, a 5-foot-8 sniper, scored twice against Ottawa. He has scored in each of Montreal's three games and has four goals on the season. He was named the first star of the game but he wanted to talk about the second star, rookie defenceman Lane Hutson.
"It's crazy the way he's been able to stay poised in certain situations, with multiple guys on him," said Caufield. "It looks like he's always in control He's pretty special and we're really lucky to have a guy like that."
St. Louis rated Hutson's level of deception as "very high."
Hutson, who stands a shade under 5-foot-10 and weighs only 162 pounds, set scoring records for defencemen with the U.S. National Team Development Program and was an all-American in two seasons at Boston University, slipped to the late second round (62nd overall) in the 2022 NHL entry draft because there were questions about his defensive play.
"People knew he had offensive skills and could drive the play but, because he had the puck so much, nobody knew whether he could play defence," said St. Louis. "He's proving that he can play defence, that he's not just a guy for the power play."
Hutson has been a top-four defenceman and has not been the ice for any of the seven goals the Canadiens have surrendered this season.
Hutson set up Alex Newhook for Saturday's prettiest goal and has five assists in five games going back to a two-game audition last season after completing his collegiate career.
"It's a good measuring stick to know what to expect," Hutson said of a season-opening schedule that featured games against division rivals Toronto, Boston and Ottawa.
"Those aren't easy teams to play and it definitely helps my confidence," said Hutson. "It's good to get into a flow and continue to learn and take steps here.
"My game is going to evolve and become whatever it needs to be," added Hutson. "It's nice that some things are working and I'm also learning what doesn't work."
Rookie Emil Heineman scored the other Montreal goal with one second remaining in a power play for his first NHL marker. The Canadiens ranked 27th on the power play last season but have scored a power-play goal In each of their three regular-season games.
The Canadiens did a good job of stopping Brady Tkachuk who had one shot on goal and had two others blocked. Tim Stutzle scored the lone Ottawa goal, his third of the season.
Sam Montembeault, who is in the conversation for a spot on Team Canada at next year's Four Nations competition, made 24 saves to run his record to 2-0.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Canada will be absolutely fine': Justin Trudeau, his ministers and Pierre Poilievre congratulate Donald Trump
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet congratulated Donald Trump Wednesday morning on his second United States presidential election win, amid questions about how the federal government intends to navigate a second term.
What Donald Trump's election victory could mean for Canada
Following president-elect Donald Trump's decisive election victory, there are sure to be significant knock-on effects for Canada. Here's a look at the different areas in which a second Trump presidency may affect Canadians.
Kamala Harris concedes: Here's what she said in her speech
Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris conceded the U.S. election to Republican Donald Trump Wednesday afternoon, telling her supporters that her 'heart is full.'
Canada orders wind up of TikTok's Canadian business, app access to continue
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok's Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Newfoundland hockey player suspended, banned from local arena after off-ice fight with fan
A combination of a thrown stick and thrown punches have given a senior hockey player in Newfoundland a three-game suspension and an indefinite ban from one of his league's six arenas.
Controversial Australian Olympic breakdancer 'Raygun' retires from competition
Australian breaker Rachael Gunn has told a Sydney radio station that she plans to retire from competition just three months after her unconventional routine at the Paris Olympics led to her being ridiculed and spawned conspiracy theories about how she qualified for the Games.
Sleepy during the day? You may be at higher risk for a pre-dementia syndrome, study finds
If you find yourself sleepy during your daily activities in your older age, you may need to consider it more than an inconvenience — since the fatigue may indicate you’re at higher risk for developing a condition that can lead to dementia, a new study has found.
Kamala Harris made a historic dash for the White House. Here's why she fell short.
"Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn't mean we won't win," U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris said on Wednesday in her concession speech.
Who won the popular vote? U.S. election vote totals from the past 40 years
Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday morning, was also ahead in the popular vote. Historically, though, the candidate with the most votes hasn’t always won the contest.