– They start off by asking what Ducharme has been up to. He says he has mostly been taking the time to relax and visit family, and that this is the first time he has had off since he started playing.
– Gallo talks about the run to the Cup final and asks what it was like to be behind the bench during that run. Ducharme says that the team really came together during a difficult stretch where they played 25 games in 43 nights to end the season. The team really started to gel in the first round against the Leafs and kept getting better and better as the play-offs went on.
– Campbell asks which was the bigger moment for Ducharme, the Lehkonen overtime winner or the game 7 win against the Leafs. Ducharme thinks that beating the Leafs in their home arena in game 7 after being down 3-1 was pretty special. The Lehkonen overtime winner will be an iconic moment for fans for a long time though. Gallo adds his own thoughts, saying that the Lehkonen overtime winner was one of his all time favorite moments as a fan.
– Gallo asks about Price and Weber, and how aware Ducharme was of their injury status. Ducharme says that he was aware of their injuries, but no one could know how these injuries would play out long term. He talks about how Price and Weber would show up to the rink at 7:30am just to get ready for a 10:30 practice. They would need an hour with the therapist and an hour in the gym just to get warmed up and ready. They were both competitors however, and being able to play in a Cup final is something they both dreamed of.
– Campbell asks Ducharme what he thinks went wrong with the team last year. Ducharme says that playing so deep into the summer the year prior definitely took the wind out of their sails to start the season. Additionally, the loss of so many important leaders in the locker room hurt the team.
– Gallo mentions how the final four from the 2021 play-offs were Montreal, Vegas, The Islanders and Tampa. Three of those 4 teams missed the play-offs the following year and all three of new coaches now. That is more than a coincidence. Ducharme agrees, saying that playing that late into the summer adversely effected the team. It was difficult for players to not only recover, but then get back in game shape for the next season. Even a high end team like Tampa can take a while to get going again after a long play-off run, often starting the next season off slow.
– Campbell asks if Ducharme has been watching the Canadiens, and what he thinks. Ducharme says that he has been watching, and notes that the Canadiens have some good depth up front. Having that many NHL ready forwards allows for some competition for roster spots and ice time. He also mentions how the young D men on the team have been showing some real maturity.
– Gallo asks about Caufield, saying that his numbers have really exploded under St. Louis. Ducharme jokingly says that he wishes Caufield had scored 40 goals for him. He says that he had a good relationship with Cole, and worked with him a lot. He adds that he played Cole on the top line with Suzuki and Toffoli during their Cup run, so he wasn’t burying him. The short off-season though and general rookie inconsistency lead to a bit of a rough start to the season though.
– Gallo then asks about Jeff Petry, and how difficult a situation that was to deal with. Ducharme says that Petry is a great player, but off-ice problems can really affect a player. The Covid restrictions really impacted Jeff’s family life, not being able to visit his or his wife’s family. Also, when you start the season on a bad foot, it can be difficult to get things back on track.
– Ducharme talks a bit about how the team made adjustments in the series against the Leafs to counter the way the cycled the puck, and carried through with that adjustment through the rest of the play-offs with great success. Ducharme kept this adjustment into the next season, but players like Petry seems to have difficulty with the system, and maybe blamed it for their own struggles.
– They finish off by talking about why Ducharme is in town, which is to support Le BUT Foundation. This charity raises money to provide free equipment and provide support to help kids get into hockey.
4 Comments
**Summary**
– They start off by asking what Ducharme has been up to. He says he has mostly been taking the time to relax and visit family, and that this is the first time he has had off since he started playing.
– Gallo talks about the run to the Cup final and asks what it was like to be behind the bench during that run. Ducharme says that the team really came together during a difficult stretch where they played 25 games in 43 nights to end the season. The team really started to gel in the first round against the Leafs and kept getting better and better as the play-offs went on.
– Campbell asks which was the bigger moment for Ducharme, the Lehkonen overtime winner or the game 7 win against the Leafs. Ducharme thinks that beating the Leafs in their home arena in game 7 after being down 3-1 was pretty special. The Lehkonen overtime winner will be an iconic moment for fans for a long time though. Gallo adds his own thoughts, saying that the Lehkonen overtime winner was one of his all time favorite moments as a fan.
– Gallo asks about Price and Weber, and how aware Ducharme was of their injury status. Ducharme says that he was aware of their injuries, but no one could know how these injuries would play out long term. He talks about how Price and Weber would show up to the rink at 7:30am just to get ready for a 10:30 practice. They would need an hour with the therapist and an hour in the gym just to get warmed up and ready. They were both competitors however, and being able to play in a Cup final is something they both dreamed of.
– Campbell asks Ducharme what he thinks went wrong with the team last year. Ducharme says that playing so deep into the summer the year prior definitely took the wind out of their sails to start the season. Additionally, the loss of so many important leaders in the locker room hurt the team.
– Gallo mentions how the final four from the 2021 play-offs were Montreal, Vegas, The Islanders and Tampa. Three of those 4 teams missed the play-offs the following year and all three of new coaches now. That is more than a coincidence. Ducharme agrees, saying that playing that late into the summer adversely effected the team. It was difficult for players to not only recover, but then get back in game shape for the next season. Even a high end team like Tampa can take a while to get going again after a long play-off run, often starting the next season off slow.
– Campbell asks if Ducharme has been watching the Canadiens, and what he thinks. Ducharme says that he has been watching, and notes that the Canadiens have some good depth up front. Having that many NHL ready forwards allows for some competition for roster spots and ice time. He also mentions how the young D men on the team have been showing some real maturity.
– Gallo asks about Caufield, saying that his numbers have really exploded under St. Louis. Ducharme jokingly says that he wishes Caufield had scored 40 goals for him. He says that he had a good relationship with Cole, and worked with him a lot. He adds that he played Cole on the top line with Suzuki and Toffoli during their Cup run, so he wasn’t burying him. The short off-season though and general rookie inconsistency lead to a bit of a rough start to the season though.
– Gallo then asks about Jeff Petry, and how difficult a situation that was to deal with. Ducharme says that Petry is a great player, but off-ice problems can really affect a player. The Covid restrictions really impacted Jeff’s family life, not being able to visit his or his wife’s family. Also, when you start the season on a bad foot, it can be difficult to get things back on track.
– Ducharme talks a bit about how the team made adjustments in the series against the Leafs to counter the way the cycled the puck, and carried through with that adjustment through the rest of the play-offs with great success. Ducharme kept this adjustment into the next season, but players like Petry seems to have difficulty with the system, and maybe blamed it for their own struggles.
– They finish off by talking about why Ducharme is in town, which is to support Le BUT Foundation. This charity raises money to provide free equipment and provide support to help kids get into hockey.
Yeah I mean you’d still have a job
“Because I’d probably still have a job”
Title sounds more bitter than he means