Newly Hired Rocket Head Coach Pascal Vincent Addresses Media Questions
At 1 p.m. today, newly hired Laval Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent addressed media questions over Zoom.
Questions and answers have been edited for clarity.
Q: I imagine you spoke with several members of Canadian management interviews for the job. What was your impression of them and was there one moment that stood out?
A: The clarity, the clarity of their vision and what they want to do was crystal clear.
What the job is, working with the prospects, working with the players in Laval, making sure that they develop properly. I just really like their vision. Jeff Gorton was there, John Sedgwick was there, Vincent Lecavalier was there, Alex Burrows was there, and Mr. Crawford was there as well.
I felt, okay, those guys have a plan and they know they have a vision and they know how to achieve what they wanna achieve, or they know the steps that are needed to be taken. So that really impressed me and that was a big reason why, other than coming back home.
Q: What does it mean to come back home and be part of the Canadiens’ organization?
A: It's quite a prestigious organization and you find that out even more when you're away from Montreal. When you work for another organization and you come to the Bell Center and you play against the Habs, you can see the intensity and the passion of the fans, yes, but you can also sense how special it is for opponents to come to Montreal.
So I knew it from a guy who grew up in Laval and was a big Habs fan, but when you experience that aspect from an opponent side of view, I really realized how prestigious this organization is even today. So I'm really happy to be part of the family now.
Q: Have you had a conversation with Martin St. Louis on how the game should be played and how it’s compatible with yours? To what extent do you feel prepared to play in a way that the players will have a seamless transition if and when they get called up to Montreal?
A: Yeah, so I spoke to Marty a little bit, but we're just getting to know each other. I've played against them. I know a little bit of their systems, not in-depth, but I know a little bit.
To me, I've been coaching for 30 years, so X's and O's, it is important, but to me, it's all about the people. Getting to know the people. And we had a really good conversation. I feel like we had a good connection between us.
Coming from the NHL perspective and the American League perspective, making sure that we run the same systems, not everything will be the same, but trying to make it as similar as possible is a huge component.
This will translate into players going up or down into an easier time in Montreal, or coming back to Laval. It's very important to them. And when I spoke to them, when I spoke earlier about the vision, that was part of it…
We wanna be able to evaluate our players at the American League level, but also when they're being called up, we don't want them to think too much. We want them to play and play and to showcase themselves. And if they have to learn a new system, it doesn't do them any favors.
We'll have conversations about systems and stuff. Martin is the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. So I'm gonna sit down and listen to their vision and their plans, and we're gonna try to execute that.
Q: There are some elements of your time in Columbus that were talking points throughout the season, namely the experience of some of your young players, how you handled them, and some of the things that came out during the season. How can you go from that to a development role in Laval?
A: Well, it's two different leagues.
I like to believe that I grow every year. Last year was a season where I learned a lot, but the organization was in different places and I got the job four days before training camp. Not much time to prepare.
It was a young team, but it's the NHL. And in the NHL, you have to win hockey games. I think if you want to look at my track record, going back years is a better way to look at it. The American League is different. It's keeping an eye on tomorrow while we develop today and how can we bring our players to a place where they can perform at the NHL level.
The goal is to win the Stanley Cup. That's the ultimate goal. And we want them to win the Stanley Cup in Montreal. If we win the Calder Cup in Laval in the meantime, great, that's a bonus. And we're going to be thinking about it. We're going to be talking about it. We want to create a winning environment in Laval. But the goal, the ultimate goal is winning the Stanley Cup.
Q: You've had experience at Place Bell coaching the Moose. How forward are you looking to being behind the bench for that first game with the crowd behind you now?
A: it's quite amazing. When we first came to Laval, I felt I was at the Bell Center. They were loud, cheering for their players.
I've been through the COVID years. Coaching in the NHL and the American League during the COVID years. We went to the bubble in Edmonton that year. And feeling it when there is nobody in the stands, it's quite something. Then you start to appreciate the fans even more.
Q: What philosophy of coaching will you bring to your players with the rocket?
A: Well, it's X's and O's for sure. But it's mainly about people first.
First thing first, I want to get to know the players. The one thing I know is this sport, the hockey game, you need to be in good shape. So our players will be in good shape. The only way you can perform and be effective and competitive, it's to work hard. In order to get there, we're going to push them. And being smart about it we have a bunch of people with more knowledge than me that will help me plan this whole thing. So we want to be smart about it, but make sure that they're in good shape.
Number two is we're going to be structured, making sure that we follow the game plan the Montreal Canadiens want to have. So we're going to be structured. We're going to be disciplined. And we're going to compete.
Q: You've been on both sides of the relationship between an NHL coach and an AHL coach. Last year, being the NHL coach, what did you learn working with Trent Vogelhuber there in Cleveland that you can bring now up to this job?
A: Even though it's only two hours away, from Columbus and Cleveland, it's still two hours away.
Having so many things to do in Columbus, and trying to push the organization, it was hard for me to stay in touch with Trent in Cleveland. The one thing we did really well, Paul, Maurice and I, when I was in Winnipeg, was we stayed in touch. And because of the close relationship we had created over the five years working together and now in Manitoba, it was an easy transition.
At the end of the day, How can we create an environment where the players will benefit from it? And I think the relationship between the two teams, I see it as a big coaching staff, the Montreal Canadiens and the Laval Rocket. Make sure we're on the same page, push each other, and ask questions, but at the end of the day, they make the decisions and our job is to execute the plan. And I'm on board, 100 percent
Q: This past year you had a lot of ups and downs. How did you grow as a coach? How did you grow as a person going through some real adversities?
A: Well, it's every year you face adversity. I think it started early in the season. I mean, we've worked all summer to get the team ready. And then four days before camp, There is a change of coach and a very young team. And the previous two years were difficult. So there were a lot of challenges, but I would say it's true for every team.
It's been a very challenging season for myself, the coaching staff and the players. But we competed hard as a team in Columbus the whole year. The team was structured. You can say that they didn't dress the top players, but we didn't have our top players either. And that would be the silver lining of the season. We had a good relationship with the players and they pushed themselves until the end of the season.
But I've learned a lot. And learned a lot about myself, about myself and what I can bring. But I don't think it's one year that made me who I am today. I think it's a combination of all 30 years of coaching.