Jacob Fowler wasn't happy about getting cut by the Canadiens. But the full version of what he said Friday night tells a very different story.
An incomplete quote made the rounds over the weekend, painting the 21-year-old goaltender as a prospect sulking at management's expense. The full clip reads nothing like that.
"I think I went through training camp like everybody. You want to make the team," Fowler said in the Rocket's locker room.
"Obviously, I wasn't happy with the conversation we had. But I think part of being a pro is just playing where your feet are."
Then came the part that got chopped off. "I'm really lucky to have the group we have here and this staff. So I'm happy to be here and be with this group."
In the clip, he stands in front of the Laval stalls with a towel draped over his neck, cap flipped backward, lips pressed tight before each answer.
Montreal's brass picked Samuel Montembeault as the backup behind Jakub Dobes. Fowler took the assignment and got to work.
Jakub Dobes gives up six in Pittsburgh as Laval waits
And the work showed right away. Fowler faced 31 shots in Friday's 2-0 loss to the Syracuse Crunch, stopping a 2-on-1 early and two breakaways in the second period.
Things got messier in Montreal on Saturday. The Canadiens dropped a 6-5 overtime decision in Pittsburgh, a few days after beating the Maple Leafs 3-2 in the opener.
Dobes now owns a .862 save percentage through two appearances. That number won't keep anybody comfortable in the crease for long.
Montembeault, at 29 and carrying a $3,150,000 cap hit, has appeared once without factoring in a decision.
So what happens if the Canadiens' tandem keeps leaking goals?
The answer sits up the road in Laval, with a kid who handled the toughest conversation of his young career like a 10-year veteran.
The rush to frame him as bitter was lazy and unfair. A goalie admitting he's disappointed after a demotion is about as shocking as a kid admitting he wanted dessert.
Wanting the job is the point. How you react once you don't get it is what front offices remember, and his answer checked every box.
Daniel Jacob, in his first season behind Laval's bench after taking over in July, gets a motivated goalie instead of a distraction.
The Canadiens open at home Tuesday night against the Hurricanes, with eight goals scored and eight allowed through two games.
Kent Hughes made his call. Now every soft goal at the Bell Centre will have fans wondering whether it was the right one.
-
-
Should the Canadiens call up Jacob Fowler if Jakub Dobes keeps struggling?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Maple Leafs acquire a 6-foot-6 towering defenseman from Detroit in blockbuster trade proposal
