It might have only been a preseason game, but still, it was Jacob Fowler’s very first NHL game on Monday night, and he played admirably for the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]. Through the 35 minutes he was in the net (and the ensuing shootout), he looked as calm and collected as could be. More than the sound positioning and the excellent puck tracking, that’s what stood out for me. There are markets where that may not be as important a trait. Still, in hockey-mad Montreal, which has a long line of goaltending royalty such as Jacques Plante, George Vezina (aptly nicknamed the Chicoutimi Cucumber), Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, and, more recently, Carey Price, it’s almost essential. Strong Goaltending Display Leads To Shootout Win [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/strong-goaltending-display-leads-to-shootout-win] Ex-Canadiens Defender Lands Big Hit On Islanders Prospect [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/ex-canadiens-defender-lands-big-hit-on-islanders-prospect] Canadiens: Lineup Shows St-Louis Means Business [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-lineup-shows-st-louis-means-business] If someone watched without knowing anything about Fowler, they wouldn’t have thought he was a rookie. The way he handled himself gave his teammates the confidence they needed to come back from behind and get the win. Being a goaltender is no easy task; being the last line of defense is a huge responsibility, and it takes a particular kind of temperament to relish that responsibility without crumbling under the enormity of the task. Fowler appears to be just the right kind of person. Speaking after the game, he said: > I just love to play hockey. I love to go out on the ice, whether it’s in front > of 20,000 people or by myself. I think hockey is just what makes me calm. A > lot of people get wrapped up in different things; for me, it’s just wanting to > let the game come to me and enjoy being a hockey player. […] It’s part of who > I am; I just love coming to the rink every day, and it’s not a job for me. - That seems to be a trend in Montreal lately: players who live and breathe hockey and never want to leave the ice. It sounds like Fowler will fit perfectly with Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov, two other hockey junkies, so to speak. The Canadiens’ scouting staff has done wonders in the last few years, finding players of that caliber, as well as those of a similar ilk. Of course, finding Demidov was easy, but betting on Hutson’s love of the sport and his skill, which allowed him to overcome his small stature, wasn’t. As for Fowler, he was a third-round pick, and so far, it looks like that pick will turn out to be a steal. Asked to describe his game-saving stop in overtime, the hero of the night explained: > It’s hard to put into words. In those types of moments, whether it’s preseason > or not, you want to give your team a chance to win, and I was able to get > across and get enough of it. It was fortunate that one didn’t go in, and we > ended up getting the win. - As good as he’s been in this tiny sample, don’t get any ideas - Fowler will spend the season in the AHL. At his age, he needs to see plenty of action to develop correctly, and he wouldn’t get that in the NHL right now. The organization will no doubt remember how much they believed in Cayden Primeau and just how much his development suffered from being underplayed during the pandemic. No one ever stayed in the AHL for too long. Fowler is a diamond in the rough, and it’s worth taking the time to polish him just right before bringing him up to the NHL. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News.
