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Canadiens: In Other News… Ducharme Axed, Rocket Fight for Playoffs

By Scott Cowan

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens Dominique Ducharme, handles bench duties during the second period against the New Jersey Devils at Centre Bell on February 8, 2022 in Montreal, Canada. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Montreal Canadiens 7-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens Dominique Ducharme, handles bench duties during the second period against the New Jersey Devils at Centre Bell on February 8, 2022 in Montreal, Canada. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Montreal Canadiens 7-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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Laval Rocket Continue Unlikely Push for Playoff Spot

In reality, both the ECHL’s Trois Rivieres Lions and the AHL’s Laval Rocket should’ve been destined for a similar fate to the Canadiens this season. The trickle-down effect that most injury plagued NHL teams suffer from is something the Habs and their affiliates are no stranger to, and it’s resulted in some less-than-ideal campaigns from what were once promising teams. The 2017-18 Canadiens weren’t a fantastic team by any stretch of the imagination, finishing with a paltry 29-40-13 record in spite of a breakout campaign from Brendan Gallagher and backup goalie Antti Niemi.

Compared to the Rocket, however, they looked like a Stanley Cup contender. In what was their first season after the move from the St. John’s IceCaps, an initially promising start for Laval quickly gave way into a season ending 12-game losing streak (yes really) and a ridiculous 51 different players seeing the ice. In the following seasons, former Habs GM Marc Bergevin continued his reputation for lack of affiliate support before former head coach Joel Bouchard finally brought the Rocket into a somewhat competitive state.

After jumping ship to coach the San Diego Gulls, new head coach Jean-Francois Houle has picked up where Bouchard left off, as the Rocket have continued to bring exciting hockey to the table in spite of all the complications from their parent club. In a notable change of pace from season’s prior, Bergevin inked 15 or so players to AHL-only contracts, an unheard-of number in the league as we know it today. Ultimately though, this has benefited Laval greatly, as they’ve still been able to ice a competitive roster, behind the likes of Kevin Poulin, Gabriel Bourque, Danick Martel, and Kevin Roy.

With a 18-13-3 record this season, the Rocket sit 8th in the Eastern Conference with the fewest games played in the AHL, having eight games in hand on the 9th place Charlotte Checkers. While it seems like top scorers in Laurent Dauphin and Ryan Poehling will be with the Canadiens for the foreseeable future, the Rocket should continue to put up a fight and potentially sneak into the AHL playoffs for the first time in team history.

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