Conversation With Max Lapierre

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Get into Max and Lapierre. We should bring him on.

Excited to have him as a part of our team now with daily face up doing his post game live shows called hockey with an accent.

No read, Vic. Let's just bring him in.

First of all, it's an honor to meet you, Maxime.

Very happy to have you here as a part of our team.

And I guess just for people who aren't familiar with what you're doing yet,

we would love to hear about how hockey with an accent got started.

I know you had a big show planned for tomorrow and what's going to be a huge game

between the Canadians and send it out with how cool the sense of gotten.

Yeah, thanks for having me on the show guys really appreciate it.

Obviously, it's a new beginning for us starting a show we've been doing it in French for seven seasons now,

but we thought it was a time to go on the English side a little bit for polls games at least.

And tomorrow we have a big show after the big game, big game against Ottawa.

We have a great panel given the access going to be there.

P.K. Subans, Scott Gomez, Rick Nash.

The match you don't know Pascal Leclerc, former gold tender for Ottawa and Columbus,

a full panel.

So it's going to be a bunch of friends talking about hockey.

Obviously, tavern style with the width of beer once in a while.

And we want to we want to give a little something to the fans here in English.

Yeah, you look at that market and you look at the up.

Are you okay, Johnny?

You look like you might sometimes people like to think before they blurt something out.

You know, that's okay, right?

Go.

Please go.

I mean, listen, when you're in that market, there's just so much opportunity.

Every time we talk about the Montreal Canadians, it seems like the numbers for our show are double what they normally are.

And the same could be said for, you know, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

And as we were just talking about the Leafs a little bit.

And when our pal Patty Maroon, who comes on our show all the time,

was saying to the media yesterday, but I'm just curious from your perspective,

because you've been in the pressure cooker market and you had such a long and successful run,

you know, with the Montreal Canadians.

It's kind of where you establish yourself in the national hockey league as,

as a name that people knew before going over to Vancouver.

What is it like, you know, being in a market,

as I always kind of compare it to what it must be like playing in the NFL here in the United States,

playing in a market like Toronto, like Montreal,

because as much as the opportunities are endless,

there is an added level of scrutiny and pressure as well.

Yeah, for sure.

It's, it is non-stop.

But you know, guys, at the end of the day,

the players that were on the Montreal Canadians that are working and doing their jobs

and playing the right way, they never add an issue with pressure.

You know, it's the people that are cheating or not playing the right way

that get out of this market at one point and says they're saying it was tough

and so many media and all that.

But never seen someone doing the right thing,

not accepting the visibility you have in a great market.

And you got to use that for yourself, like you got to take it,

like it's a fun market and play the right way.

You're going to become a God here, like in Montreal.

See, I live the same thing in Vancouver,

like this is a great place to play hockey.

And yes, there's a lot of interviews,

but I think you have to accept that you're part of a franchise with history.

You have, you're part of a franchise where the fans are passionate about it

and they're just, maybe sometimes it comes out the right way,

but they're just there for you and they just want you to do well on the ice.

So I don't know if you've seen like the specific stats.

I think Cole Coffield this year, he's close to 40 goals.

Must have like 36, 37 goals.

But from what I've heard, I need to get the exact stat

but I think like 16 or 17 of them have been on a Saturday,

right? Like the Saturday at Montreal,

like Cole Coffield always seems to shine under the bright lights.

But for you playing in Montreal for, you know, five plus seasons,

like what is the most special part about that Saturday night at the Bell Center?

Like I need to know from a player, like someone who lived it

because you kind of hear about it and how it's like, I don't even,

I don't even think you can compare it to anything in sports.

Like what, what is that build up for Saturday night like in Montreal?

Well, as a young player, guys, I'm, I'm not going to lie here.

There's the on ice part and there's an off ice part.

It's so, it's so loud and a Saturday night in the building

and you feel the, the, the heat you, you, you know,

the fans have been waiting for this game all weekend, all week long.

And then after the game, you, you go to the restaurant, you go out like you,

if you have a good game, you know, everybody's going to come to you

and talk about the game and be proud of yourself.

So I just feel like it's a, it's a special moment in Montreal,

Saturday night hockey and it's, it's, it's the fun part.

Like I just said, as a young player, like it's, yes, it's a lot of pressure.

But I feel like it's one of the only market in, in hockey where you get out

and you feel like your Hollywood actor, like your, your Hollywood star.

This is the way people feel, especially guys like Kolkov,

Phil Demidov, Safkowski of the ice.

Like it's, it's special, guys, like you can, you can take it the wrong way.

But when you retire after, after a great career, like they're,

they're going to have like, you don't get these moments back.

You know, like it says just a matter of 10 to 15 years.

And then when you're sitting in the morning drinking your coffee

and nobody recognizes you then, you're, you're thinking,

wow, I should have take advantage of it while it was going on.

I can, I remember playing a preseason games at the Bell Center

and it just being, wait, this many people come to a preseason game.

I mean, I guess anytime it's Bruins versus Montreal preseason,

playing on a Wednesday night on a pond in the middle of a lake,

people are going to come and, and Montreal.

And, and that year in the 11 playoffs, I did, you know,

because we had stops in Montreal in the first round.

And then obviously we finished in Vancouver.

But Johnny, those are the only two cities where fans know

enough that they even knew I, like people were actually black

is and like, you know, because we're the only guys going out in the playoffs.

We're traveling, you of us that we're traveling.

I don't know if you know Jordan, Corona at all, Matt.

He's a, he's a fellow countryman.

Obviously I know he, he lives up that way still.

But, you know, we were out and about every night in every city.

And people would literally come up.

And they were friendly to us too.

Um, they knew who we were and we'd be like, how do you know who we,

like, we're like, you can count the amount of games we played this year on one hand.

And you know, it is just a different animal up there.

It is really cool.

It's funny.

You see this because I have a little story back in the days when we started.

I don't know if you guys remember Guillaume Latte on the rest,

but we started our career, we started at the same time.

And at one point, like people were recognizing us everywhere.

We were going, obviously, and we wanted to eat hot dogs and put sin.

And we were going to that restaurant often called La Belle Praveins.

And at one point, people started to give us like, they were telling us,

hey, guys, you're young players, you're going to eat the right way.

You're going to take care of your body.

It's like playoffs are coming and all that.

So next thing you know, Guillaume and I at one point were hiding in the pickup truck in the back.

And his girlfriend was driving to drive to and we're just eating in the back.

So people don't recognize us.

So this is the, this is the type of thing you live in Montreal.

But like I said, create some funny moments.

Yeah.

Is it, is it, doesn't it put more stress on you doing the show that you're going to be doing?

Obviously, you've been doing it for seven years.

Now you're going to do it in English as well.

But do you feel like, okay, I played for the team and you're well known?

But you also have probably still good relationships within the organization.

You're an alumni and like what you say probably holds a lot of weight.

And people are listening.

It's not like Johnny and I can say certain things.

And your Rangers locker room is going to give a shit what Johnny has to say.

Or you know, in whatever other locker room, I, if I'm talking about the Boston Bruins,

you know, Don Sweeney, I don't think I'm getting an angry text from Don Sweeney.

What about you?

Because it is such a different animal as we've kind of now been talking about.

But when you are talking on the show like on our show,

well, I shouldn't say we let it fly.

I let it fly.

I, I probably get scared to line two, three, but listen, I'm just being honest in the moment

about certain ways that I feel about certain things.

And I try to make sure I never keep it, make it personal about a player and like never,

ever want to do that.

But sometimes you got to call it like it is.

Is that difficult in that market?

Or that's just hey, we're in the big leagues, man.

It is, it is tough to a certain level because everyone has a different opinion

about the player's game, right?

So for example, since the beginning of the year,

the, the, the talk in town has been the goal.

He's specially, specifically, Montaubo and he's having a tough, tough stretch right now.

And it's, it's a tough season for him.

So I started at the beginning of the year and I was saying, you know what, guys, just be patient.

At one point, like he's a veteran player, like give him time to find his game.

Dolbesh is really good, but it's not the time to make the call right now that he stole the net, you know.

So, but then, then you got to have the people that are writing to you that I'm crazy.

And this guy should be on waivers.

And then you got the other half that are saying, you're too hard on Montaubo.

He should give him a bigger chance. So you're never going to be a winner.

And you have to realize this quickly.

Only thing I'm trying to do is always to, to make sure I have some solid facts, right, guys, because you,

it's easy to go and say this guy is not good enough, but why is he not good enough?

What's going on?

What are the stats, you know, like, for example, like everyone was saying, he's not even over 900 as a gold tender.

But then I'm, I made my research and I'm trying to show people that the game as a gold tender has changed

because the guys are so good now and the shots are so good that the 900 that used to be the standard in the NHL.

The stats are going down and it's normal. The shots are so good and the players are so skilled.

The 900 is going to be the norm now, like you're going to have a lot of players or gold tender.

They're going to be under 900.

So I'm just trying to show that it's not that dramatic.

Now you fast forward to a few days ago.

I said, it's time for Dolbesh to be number one.

And we, we play until the end of season and we fix a trouble in the summer or next training camp.

Then what do you think happens?

50 people, 50% of people are telling me, I'm crazy because I'm too hard on Montabo and Dolbesh is too young.

He hasn't proven up in the NHL to be number one.

So it's just about being honest.

I think being respectful of the, the, the human being behind the hockey player.

And I think you guys know like in markets like Montreal, New York, Boston, like, they're just looking for honesty.

And if you're, you're, you're classy in the way you're expressing it, I think you're going to be fine.

But didn't, I didn't get a phone call yet. Hopefully.

Well, then let me ask you to follow up with you on that topic because I think gold tending has been a really big topic of the Montreal Canadians this season.

And I think a lot of us were curious because we were hearing the rumors.

I mean, even on our coverage with daily face off, we heard Kent Hughes was working on some big things and we were going to be shocked.

And now rumors are starting to trickle out that maybe there was a deal with Toronto that was being made.

I mean, look, I, I have no idea. It's all speculation.

But we did ask like, is gold tending something to our Montreal is looking at?

Are they looking to pry a goalie out from somewhere else?

Does that really make sense?

Does that, you know, and that became a very hot topic of the daily face offs coverage.

So let me ask you, Max, like, do you look at this team post trade deadline and do you feel like they addressed the needs that they had?

Because I think the outer, the outer circle, which I would include us in, like we're outsiders, but we love Montreal because they really do play a brand of hockey that is exciting to watch.

The way they possess the puck, the way that they skate, they have players that are electric.

But to us, they didn't fill their holes. And, and I don't foresee them having enough to make a long playoff run.

So where are you at with the trade deadline and what they did or didn't address?

Well, I think here in Montreal, we know that can't use is is patient is going to be patient and is not going to blow up everything just to try to to play an extra round in the playoff this year.

That being said, I think that like you said, what was what we needed to improve? Was it improve?

Let's start in that. I think in net were fine because if you look at the future, we got foul or Dolbache is doing well.

He looks structure in net now. At the beginning of the year, he was swimming in his crease, but that that has changed a little bit. He looks like a solid gold tender, big tall guy.

So you get those two young guys. You would think that at one point, Motambo is going to get back to at least the level of being a good back up goalie.

So you got three gold tenders here and that that for me is not the major issue. The major issue is the toughness, the type of defenseman that are tough to play against, tough to play.

Tough to go in front of the net, maybe a little more meat in front like some players that can be physical, go to the net, disturb fight.

Obviously we didn't address those those issues and the problem for me is not just this year is when we start the season next season, we still don't have these type of people because they're not part of the young crew we have.

We didn't draft. Yes, we have jack eyes, brother and we have a few guys in the in the minors, but I'm talking about players that are playing 20 minutes a night and have an impact, you know, because it's one thing to have toughness.

But if it's for five to eight minutes a game, it's a few shifts guys, you know, you know, like me, like you're not going to change the game in the season with players not playing big minutes.

Yeah, I was a little disappointed. I thought we were going to go get at least a right and the defenseman somebody heavy.

I thought we were actually going to do the same thing Buffalo did, right? Like they would carry with the Stanley with Shan, they just address the issue with three players that and it wasn't that expensive.

But for me, those are all things we're going to see next season with the Canadians. I think this year they want to be patient.

They wanted to see where the kids are going. They wanted to see probably what Michael age is going to do at the end of this season is if he joins the team.

And then they're going to go from there because don't forget the cap is going up. There's going to be bad contracts going away like Patrick Lines contract.

And then I think it's it's gold time for the Montreal Canadians.

It's a good point to and I kind of remember there being a pivotal play last year in that first round series against the capitals where Tom Wilson, I forgot who he laid out on Montreal.

But then 30 second later it was Carrier and then do I think scores like 30 seconds later that changed like the entire series.

And I think because wasn't Carrier like skating off and like he didn't stick out the end of the shift and then the change was bad and do him is left in the back door.

Yeah, like I remember that play being so pivotal in that series granted like not every team has an answer for Tom Wilson like he's a unicorn in the league.

But like to your point Maxim right like they need just some bigger heavier bodies on their on their back end like it seems pretty obvious.

But with that said like are you getting nervous here with this Eastern conference race because like Montreal seemed like a for sure locked make the playoffs before the Olympic break.

And now you know it seems like teams are really creeping up in their spot is not safe with how their goal tending has been and the two one and two records is coming back from the Olympics.

Yeah, you're absolutely right and it before the Olympics I was like wow at least we have a little cushion right now like we we we have time to do some test things do some stuff with the power play the different line combination.

But now it's it's you're going to see what they're made of right and I think for them it's stressful for us it's a good thing because looking looking for them you're like where are they going to be when it's it's go time when it's their pressure on because it's been like a really nice season for them.

And it puts everything in perspective right guys like you're you're looking back and you're like was it this year the year to to to be that good and be like comfortable on top of the standings I.

And then it's the answer is no there the youngest team in the NHL they had issue with gold tending all year they didn't replace the players we need to replace like we just like the physicality and toughness and all this so.

They had a lot of injuries Patrick line a dark new look like they they had issues guys and at the end of the day they're still in the playoffs spot I think they're going to figure it out because they they've been playing really poorly defensively but I think they have good coaching and they're going to fix it at one point hopefully I hope and I don't think it's possible that you have an issue in nets for 82 games it has to change at one point and now that like I said the pressure is on so we're going to see what they're made of but.

The biggest issue for me right now at this time of the year is we still have three important players that are they're looking for their role on a team which is new look back balduke those are good young hockey players balduke has a really really had a really good season last year with Saint Louis and these guys are still looking for a word they're going to play in the lineup can they play on the first line can they accept the role on the fourth line and I don't think you're supposed to be looking for these roles at this time of the year.

Yeah let me ask you about that because it seems like especially with new hook and Kirby and and look I'll start with new hook right he's been around a little bit longer than Kirby doc has it seems like this was a similar issue for him and and why he ended up on the opening on the market from Colorado right where he was a first round pick he couldn't really become a top six player but he's not billed to be a bottom six player and I think with Kirby you.

You look at Kirby and you're like because I was with him in Chicago here for a couple of years so I got to know him and got to really see him up close and personal and and you look at him and you're like if I was going to create a hockey player on the computer he'd look a lot like Kirby doc he'd be tall he'd have skill he'd be able to skate he'd shot I mean Kirby has every club in a bag that you could ever want but.

He's yet to take the clubs out of the bag and utilize them in his career which is why the Chicago black cars looked at him during their rebuild and said you know what we know that you're you're so young but we just don't think that your style matches our long term plan here and look I give Montreal credit and and with Marty Saint Louis any player that has a ton of upside is worth looking at because it seems like Marty Saint Louis can.

Get more out of certain players but at what point do you look at new hook and do you look at Kirby who look these are NHL players on their worst day they're skating circles around me so like I know it's like it's not we're not even talking the same language these guys are so talented but.

They've yet to grab something in this league and say this is who I am and at a certain point as I tell Johnny all the time when we talk about law for a year who play you know with the rangers like you are what you are you know they mean like we can't keep saying is on fire right now point yeah yeah garbage time points that.

I just want to know like do you see light at the end of the tunnel with these two guys and I feel like with Kirby there's more upside the new hook but I just you see flashes and it gets you excited and you're like holy shit but you know as as as you want more I guess you would say when you watch those two in particular.

Yeah for sure and I think long term is going to be easier for new hook to find a role on that team because you can play better a little bit defensively is a good for checker he had success at the beginning of the season playing on with Demidov and Capen and this this line was was on fire before he got hurt.

I like his energy his work ethic obviously I think I think he's a good player he obviously he played in Colorado they won the cup that that is very important experience for young team here in Montreal on Kirby dox side I'm like I feel bad for him because he got hurt every single time that he was starting to feel it feel a little better on the ice he got hurt and that is tough for hockey players or in your career and when you come back you always have to deal with with a different type of.

You know like your your slower you're not as flexible or you don't feel the game the same way and since he came back I think guys he honestly is playing well like he he's working hard he fought once to defend his teammate he's going to the net he's trying to be physical but like you said like when you look at the full package big righty great hands good shot like sometimes when he was younger you would think like is he going to be able to become like a Ryan gets left you know like maybe I'm exactly.

I'm glad you're reading a little bit right now but similar type actually yeah yeah I like that comparison that that makes a lot of sense no I like that I've never heard that before either that that dings a lot of bells in my brain for sure yeah and right now the more games I'm watching he's he's got I think one major issue and is is not agile you know like he's he's talented he's skill but on his case he's not agile agile when it's time to do a tight turn or quick feet

or back checking and you know the game is so fast now yeah I feel like this is what is catching up to him right now it's not it's not the way he's playing it's not is passion or because sometimes it's easy when you have a tall skill player to just go and say he's lazy but no he's not lazy maybe he's just missing a tool and I don't know if it's too late to work on that stuff right now but he's not agile enough and I feel like it's costing costing him a role on the top six

I feel like some guys just have that though and some guys don't like being that shifty it's it's insane like the Demodavs and even cold coffee old how he gets out of tight windows like

but also hold on a second Kirby's pushing six foot four you're like that's the big guy yeah but but cold coffee old I mean come on

I was I just said two two different examples yeah I know again Kirby dog Kirby dog is a bigger got like he's six three plus when I'm going to be six three six four Kirby and I are every bit eye to eye and he's and he's

he's not some skinny kid either like he's got he's he's got some meat on on his lower half as far as like and his his legs is asked like he's a he's even

even Tage Tage is pretty agile for for a bigger guy like Tage is right windows you know there are guys are going to do it Tage again kind of took him a little bit

longer than most but I I think I guess to Maxim's point like I don't know if that's something that guys can like learn at this

stage it's it's so hard to just have that skill especially as a bigger guy it is hard like it is hard to learn at this

stage in your career and the other thing is the matchup if you place with Suzuki and coffee on the wing then he's facing the best

these on the other side so when I talk about being agile on your skates it's stuff for him to get out of a corner and create it

let's say if you play against Kalmakar compared to play against the third the third pair you know guys like so for him I think in the best

case scenario is having a role on the third line like being focused on playing the right way defensively and being

bringing or contribute offensively once in a while so and this is where we have an issue right now our bottom six we don't know what's the perfect fit

yeah Max I want to kind of go on a side tangent here before we let you go because we do have micro now joining here in a second

but one of the games that I remember vividly from my childhood that you played in I'm a Ranger fan group a Ranger fan the five nothing

come back you know probably one of the best games in Montreal Canadian at least regular season history

think you had I think you had an assistant that game too looking at the box score earlier this morning but that game I

think it's actually ranked as like the best Montreal Canadians game in the last 25 years or so whatever but do you

remember like specifically any any moments from that game like five nothing you guys are down come back and win

the shootout like had to be the coolest game of all time that you've played in as far as regular season goes

of course and it was the loudest I've ever seen bell center and it was just like it was like a movie guys you

know like you're coming back you got the big guns like Kovalev or Koivu they're scoring big goals or making big

plays and then at the end the last moment of the game is Jeremy Jagger facing Cristobal UF for for the last

shot of the game and we need to stop it to win just just so much there so much fun and you know the

feeling of seeing the the building emptying and then you're thinking about all those people that miss

probably one of the most important time in the history or the the new era history they're just

left and then you win the game I feel like these people when they arrive home they're like maybe

we should have stuck with our team a little longer but it was it was fun and it was probably my only

chance in my career to play on the top six because after the first the first period the coach has

snapped so he changed the lines and I think I was playing with Michael Ryder and they put Mark

straight as a forward on my on my left side and we just they just shook things up and the

winded up winning it was it was fun to be part of it might as well Ryder that's a that's a blast

from the past what a beauty what a sniper oh my god he he was always in Claude Julian's doghouse

but he still played on that third line or that second line because you knew with him like he could

sleepwalk for 58 and a half minutes he just needed one opportunity somewhere around the top of

the circles and he could put that thing on an absolute string like for sure total total beauty off

the ice too I mean the amount of times during the 11 cup run that I ran into him in the wee hours

of the night when he would be playing a game the next day clearly I would not. Funniest guy ever too

he's so funny and I would run into him in like the team sweet like God only knows what time it was

leaving the rocks here or wherever else and he would be and I'd be like you you have to play

tomorrow what is happening here and he'd go out and have one and one like no big deal

he was he was a great oh man he was he was an important guy kept it light you know just like

want to have a good time he was he was a great guy I'm happy to hear you bring up his name so

so every every Montreal game now moving forward there will be a post game show that's every game

the rest of the way here except on weekends but yet during the week and we obviously going to have

more shows interviews with players and just doing the whole thing here we we want to have fun we

want to go and meet some other people that we we have our crowd in French but now a lot of people

were asking us to go in English so it's a new that's awesome yeah it's awesome give the people

what they want right well listen we'll be we'll be looking forward to being able to understand

the show in English with the guest panel that you had that you mean he's worth buying a ticket

PK is a guy who who has who really lets it fly in media he's one of the more outgoing personalities

and and you know obviously was it was a hell of a hockey player want to you know Norris Trophy

amongst other things and and when you get to know him he's he's a good person as well and

he's done a lot of really good things for a lot of people so we'll be checking out the show

and and hopefully Montreal will hang on to the playoffs spot I think the hot hockey's better when

when Montreal and Detroit and I mean it's it's devastating to see the Rainders and Toronto in my

opinion be so bad this year I do not enjoy that but we will hopefully revisit with you here towards

the the stretch run and and as we get towards playoffs and we'll definitely be checking the show out

all right thank you for the good work can you keep it up appreciate you doing a great job

yeah thanks for coming thank you enjoy tomorrow night and hopefully to have you yeah yeah for sure

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