Younger Slovakian, 19, who the Habs drafted No. 1 total in 2022, has quite a lot of similarities with Pete Mahovlich, who solely broke out at age 24.
Again within the day, my first favorite participant with the Canadiens was Pete Mahovlich.
I don’t bear in mind why. Perhaps it was as a result of he’s nearly as tall as I’m and we had been born six days aside.
Throughout his early days on the Discussion board, Mahovlich heard it from the boo birds. Why? Massive guys stand out. If you’re taking part in effectively, everybody notices. If you aren’t, it’s apparent all the way in which up within the nosebleed seats. It’s Montreal — they even booed Larry Robinson. One other large man is listening to it from the critics right this moment. Juraj Slafkovsky has already been written off by the descendants of the dim bulbs who booed Mahovlich 50 years in the past.
There are classes for Slafkovsky in what Mahovlich skilled — and classes for Montreal’s typically hysterical fan base.
Acquired from the Pink Wings together with Bart Crashley for Garry Monahan and Doug Piper on June 6, 1969, Mahovlich would flip 23 as his first season with the Habs started. After sporadic motion over 4 seasons in Detroit, he was coming off a marketing campaign through which he had scored two targets and two assists in 30 video games.
Mahovlich’s debut season with the Canadiens in 1969-70 was barely extra spectacular. He had 9 targets and eight assists whereas studying his craft from one other large fellow, Jean Béliveau.
Nobody might have predicted what would observe the following season: Mahovlich, joined within the lineup by large brother Frank on Jan. 13, 1971, produced 35 targets and 26 assists in 78 video games — and received his first Stanley Cup ring that spring whereas contributing 10 targets and 6 assists in among the most intense playoff hockey you’ll ever see.
Mahovlich was 24 that yr. He would observe it up with one other 35-goal marketing campaign and earlier than he was traded in 1977 he would high 30 targets three extra instances, peaking with a 35-goal, 82-assist, 117-point season in 1974-75.
The affable, easygoing Mahovlich was a centreman and (as he typically jokes) the “gap within the doughnut” on a line between Steve Shutt and Man Lafleur. Of the gamers from the 1963 draft, solely Walt McKechnie even approached the profession totals Pete Mahovlich put up: 288 targets, 485 assists, 773 factors, 4 Stanley Cup rings.
If he was ever the outlet within the doughnut, that was one heckuva doughnut.
It’s arduous to not see a complete lot of Mahovlich in Slafkovsky. They’re the identical dimension. They each have Slavic origins — the Mahovlich household is Croatian, Slafkovsky is a Slovak. They put on the identical quantity 20. Mahovlich was chosen second total within the 1963 draft behind his St. Michael’s teammate, Monahan. Slafkovsky went first total in 2022.
As an 18-year-old, Slafkovsky’s manufacturing (4 targets and 6 assists for 10 factors in 39 video games earlier than he was injured) is definitely higher than Mahovlich managed within the seasons when he was 19 and 20 years outdated — a mixed purpose and 4 assists in 37 video games.
If Slafkovsky desires to know first-hand what Pete Mahovlich went via, he wants solely to ask teammate Josh Anderson. Mahovlich is the uncle via marriage of Anderson’s mom, Michelle. That torch factor, you realize?
In the event you noticed Slafkovsky’s shootout purpose throughout a apply scrimmage, you realize the large man has the fingers. He has dimension, power, an excellent angle and a goal-scorer’s contact.
Slafkovsky continues to be 5 years youthful than Pete Mahovlich was throughout his breakout season in 1971. All he wants is confidence and persistence.
Slafkovsky is shaking off the rust from a season-ending damage. He’s nonetheless a young person. And except you’re Mario Lemieux, large guys develop slowly.
So perhaps the knuckleheads yammering on X, previously often known as X platform, previously often known as Twitter, about how the Habs ought to have taken 5-foot-10, 174-pound Logan Cooley might shut up and provides the younger man an opportunity.
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Standing of reviews on investigations into the alleged gang rape involving junior hockey gamers in London, Ontario on June 18, 2018:
Hockey Canada investigation: Pending
NHL investigation: Pending
London police investigation: Pending
All you must know concerning the Alouettes: Because of David Arsenault of RDS for these stats:
All you must find out about CF Montréal: They need to have held on to Wilfried Nancy.
Sports activities feat of the yr: Ethiopian runner Tigist Assefa, operating in Berlin, took two minutes and 11 seconds off the ladies’s marathon world document in a single race.
I nonetheless need to see Byron go head-to-head in a race towards Connor McDavid. It might be nearer than you assume.
Heroes: Paul Byron, Nikita Zadorov, Shawn Lemon, Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Darnell Sankey, William Stanback, Tyson Philpot, Tigist Assefa, Wilfried Nancy, Mel Morris, David Fennario, &&&& final however not least, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
Zeros: Katherine Henderson, Hockey Canada, Joey Saputo, Deion Sanders, Zach Wilson, Mike Babcock, Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& final however not least, Jeffrey Loria.
Now and without end.
