Team Canada held its first practice in Brossard on Monday and Samuel Montembeault unveiled his new Canadian gear.
On Monday, the 4 Nations Face-Off participating teams held their first training session, and Montreal Canadiens’ netminder Samuel Montembeault was on the ice with his Team Canada teammates.
Everyone noticed his brand-new gear when he stepped on the ice, including a great new mask painted by Sylvie Marsolais. Of course, it features Team Canada’s maple leaf, but it also features an aggressive Canadian beaver on one side and one tied up to the net on the other.
The latter is a throwback tribute to the mask he was wearing with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL when he was in the Florida Panthers organization. Back then, The Simpsons’ popular character Milhouse was tied to the net, as he was in the episode Lisa on Ice. Playing in Springfield, having a Simpsons cartoon on his bucket made sense.
As for his equipment, the pads, catching glove, and blocker are red, black, and cream. Should he see some action during the tournament, let’s hope he’ll do better with his red pads than Carey Price did when he was rocking his bright red ones.
After practicing this morning, the Team Canada goaltender explained to the press what it meant to him to be selected to play for his country:
I’m really proud to be here. I’ve come a long way. I wasn’t always part of the best goaltenders; I was picked up on waivers. I was part of a three-goalie rotation…To be picked as one of the top three makes me very proud.
Whether he gets to play a game or not, being part of the team will allow him to spend ten days with players such as Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon. Getting shots from such talented players, even if it’s just in practice, will be a valuable experience for the 28-year-old goaltender.
Canada kicks off its tournament on Wednesday night by taking on Sweden at 8:00 PM and will play a second game in Montreal on Saturday when it takes on Team USA at 8:00 PM. Its third game will occur in Boston against Finland at 1:00 PM on Monday, Feb. 17. Should Canada qualify for the final, it will play the championship game on Thursday at 8:00 PM.
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