While Lane Hutson was doing what he loves best, skating, Martin St. Louis was talking about himself with the rest of his teammates on the ice.
“I knew the announcement would be made at the beginning of practice,” St. Louis explained after Monday morning’s practice. We wanted to get a good workout without any distractions. After that, I sent Lane out to talk to other players without him present and told them the news. They were very happy, it was a great moment not only for Lane but for the whole team.”
It's not often you see a coach gather his players to announce a signing, but St. Louis felt the time had come.
“As hockey players, the ice is our sanctuary. Unless I'm holding a meeting in the locker room, I rarely get a chance to get everyone together. After practice, I always gather the players together and let the moment happen organically.”
“I'm not surprised by the way the players responded and I like it almost better than winning. I think Lane was happy to skate, he loves to skate.”
Culture
That approach is in the DNA of this team and even though we talk a lot about the culture that we have established there, Martin St. Louis believes that it should come from the players and that we should coddle that culture.
“When Lane came back from his turn, the players celebrated as if it was an overtime goal and everyone was jumping on the ice. That says a lot.”
“We can't force a crop to grow, we can only force it to grow. You have to take care of it, plant seeds, water it, give it sunlight. If you take care of the right elements, you will see it grow, and that's what we do.”
Hutson's personality, in addition to his obvious on-ice talents, is what makes this team better, according to the head coach.
“He has a passion for hockey, he's a good person. You can't get enough of those personalities because they're always getting better and they're contagious.”
Never worried
If Lane Hutson's contract has been the talk of the town in recent weeks, it appears to have been talked about little in the team's locker room.
“We didn't want it to be a distraction and ultimately we believed the problem would be resolved, it was just a matter of time,” said captain Nick Suzuki.
Alexandre Carrier was glad that Hutson stayed with the team for a long time.
“It's good news for him and for the team. He deserves it, he works so hard. We saw last year what a big impact he has on our team, his maturity off the ice, the way he prepares, the way he works on the ice and the attention he pays to detail. He's truly an outstanding worker.”
Newcomer Canadian Noah Dobson seemed excited about the news.
“We're part of a group that has a great core and that must have made a difference for Lane. We look around the locker room and everyone wants to be a part of it and grow together. It's something they've been building for a number of years and it's pretty special.”
