Samuel Montembeault must stop speaking out publicly: in the NHL, a goalie does not survive by talking about his weaknesses
We love him, Samuel Montembeault. We want him to succeed. We must even recognize that, over the past two matches, he has been experiencing a real revival. But there is a brutal truth that no one dares tell him directly: he must stop recounting his feelings in front of the cameras.
With each media availability, Montembeault opens his heart as if he were speaking to a therapist, exposing his wounds, his doubts, his hesitations, his lack of confidence, his overflow of emotions, exactly what a goalkeeper should never offer to the media, to opponents, to recruiters.
A pitcher in baseball is never going to say that he “lacks control.”
An NFL kicker never says he “doubts on field goals.”
An NHL goalie must project a cold certainty, an almost inhuman detachment.
Montembeault, he, repeats the opposite.
The problem is what he says and what it reveals
He said again yesterday:
“Maybe I put a little too much pressure on myself at the start of the season… when things started to go less well, maybe I put even more pressure on myself and maybe I took a little too much blame. Perhaps this is what caused the confidence or morale to be lower. »
“Now that it’s over, I want to think day by day and not think too far ahead. »
“It’s more of a build-up, and then you go into the net and you think a lot more. When I played, I thought a lot, and when that’s the case, the hands come out less, you’ll push less… because you’re too hesitant. »
“I work regularly with a sports psychologist. »
In the mouth of a goalkeeper who has become number three of a team in reconstruction, these words perhaps pass.
But in the mouth of a supposedly number one goaltender in an NHL organization?
It’s catastrophic.
Not humanly, Montembeault is an articulate, honest, friendly man, but professionally. A goalkeeper has no right to reveal: that he doubts, that he thinks too much, that he sees his confidence crumbling, that he bears too much blame, that he lacks instinct, that he must rebuild himself mentally, that he puts too much pressure on himself, that he needs a “start over”.
Each sentence is a gift for the opponents. Each confession is an alarm for the DGs.
And the irony is cruel:
At the very moment when he admits his faults publicly, Elliotte Friedman affirms that the CH is trying to “embellish” Montembeault in order to compromise him.
Friedman said it bluntly: Montreal is perhaps trying to “make Montembeault shine” in order to move him
Friedman yesterday dropped the national bombshell:
“You can fix your problem…or trade your problem.” Is the CH trying to polish him to send him elsewhere? »
While Montembeault talks about his mental fragility, Friedman talks about window dressing.
While Montembeault talks about his “loss of confidence,” Friedman talks about transactions.
While Montembeault wants to “think day by day,” Friedman says several teams (Rangers, Hurricanes, Mammoth, Oilers, Senators) are looking for a goaltender immediately.
The gap is heartbreaking.
A publicist, his agent Paul Corbeil, someone needs to talk to him as soon as possible.
Because it must be said clearly: Montembeault does not look like a goalkeeper who regains control. He looks like a guard looking for help.
However, in the NHL: A goalie does not look for help. A guardian commands respect, protects his aura and NEVER shows his weaknesses.
His two good performances do not change this observation. If he wants to stay in Montreal, or even increase his market value, he must understand the fundamental message:
A number one never explains why he is no longer confident, why he thinks too much, why he hesitates.
A number one plays, wins, closes the door… and shuts his mouth. It’s not cruel. This is the reality of this position.
Meanwhile, Kent Hughes openly shows that Fowler is the future, and perhaps already the present
Hughes a dit :
“This summer, the plan was for Fowler to play the majority of the season in the American League… But he has a rare maturity, he bounces back quickly. »
“The goalkeeper who plays the best will play the most. »
Which means, in Hughes language:
Fowler is taking the net.
“Ideally we won’t have three goalkeepers for long. »
Someone is going to come out. (it will be Dobes)
But even if Montembeault is assured of not going to Laval, he does not have the luxury of appearing fragile.
Montembeault must change his speech… or he will be the next to change his address
He needs to stop apologizing in front of the cameras…
