Laser-focused Jonathan Drouin turns heads at Canadiens training ground

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It was only the second day on the ice at Canadiens training ground but, man, did Jonathan Drouin ever look good on Friday at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard?

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Drouin scored at least three standout goals during practice and was flying across the ice with his new linemates Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson. He was also smiling a lot and was obviously having fun.

Former NBA star Allen Iverson once said after missing a practice with the Philadelphia 76ers: “Am I supposed to be the franchise player and are we here talking about practice? We are talking about practice … not a game, not a game, not a game. Shall we talk about practice? It’s not a game … it’s not the game that I go out and die for and play every game like it’s my last. It’s not the game … we’re talking practice, man. I mean, how silly is that? We are talking about practice. “

Yes, it was just practice for the Canadiens on Friday, but after what Drouin went through last season, it was fantastic to see him shine on the ice.

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Drouin left the team late last season due to anxiety and insomnia issues that sometimes made him sleepless for three nights and he missed the entire Canadiens playoff run to the Stanley Cup final. No one was happier to see him fly around the ice on Friday than Anderson.

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“First of all, I think mental health is a serious issue these days,” Anderson said. “Not many people on the outside know what we as athletes go through day to day and everyone says, ‘You guys make a lot of money and all that and you should be able to handle it.’ But the other things that go with it. Social media, and I’m not saying it’s social media, which is why Jo took a break and all that, but I’m proud of him for stepping away and worrying about his health. That’s the most important thing you have to do in a situation like that and he did the right thing.

“I was lucky enough to be one of his closest friends last year and just keep in touch and every day, just get close to him and we wouldn’t even be talking about hockey,” Anderson added. “It would just be about life and things like that… just to make him feel part of the team still. And then when I came to Montreal this year about three weeks before, I was trying to find a place and the first message I got was from Drou and he met me at his house with his girlfriend and made me stay with him. The focus he had too, just living with him. He trained in the morning, I would go with him, and he skated in the afternoon. And finally we went back to the house and he said, ‘We are training again. I got the coach to come to the house. ‘ I was like, ‘Are we going to take a break today?’ It was just the focus on him, the mindset that he was absent for a period of time. It was non-stop at his house. It was good to see the focus and the driving.

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“Actually, I don’t know anyone who loves hockey more than Drou. So it’s amazing to see him back. Full smiles on him, he’s happy. The boys are happy. He just brings that energy into our locker room, so I’m delighted to have Drou back. “

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So is Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme, who coached Drouin as a junior with the Halifax Mooseheads, winning the Memorial Cup together in 2013.

“I think physically he’s in good shape, also mentally,” Ducharme said of Drouin. “He is having fun. He’s working and you can see that it translates to him being as good as he can be and scoring goals like that and making plays, or whatever. We want you to wear it all year long and play with that mindset and have fun coming here every day. “

It was certainly fun watching Drouin on Friday, even if it was just practice.

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