Stu Cowan: Canada's Joel Army takes off the handbrake

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Since joining the Canadiens in the 2018-19 season following a trade with the Winnipeg Jets, Joel Armia has come across as a nice, big, shy guy in interviews.

Unfortunately, he often played that way, failing to capitalize on the size (6-foot-3 and 214 pounds) and skill that led to him being selected by the Buffalo Sabers in the first round (16th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. . As a result, Army was a very frustrating player to watch for most of his six seasons with the Canadiens.

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But the 30-year-old winger changed his mind this offseason after being sent down twice to the AHL's Laval Rockets. Army scored his career-high 17 goals and went 17-7-24 in 62 games and added an assist in Tuesday night's 9-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Bell Center. His previous career high was 16, set in 2019-20. Army is 6-2-8 overall in their last eight games.

Last Friday, Army was named the Canadiens' nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, which is awarded to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

After Army was sent to Laval to start this season, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said, “You have to understand that the window of becoming a professional athlete is very small and your life after hockey is much longer. don't take advantage. So you have to stay in the moment and go for it.”

The dispatch to Laval, together with the words of advice from St. Louis, seemed to be quite a wake-up call for the Army. Army posted a 6-3-9 record in eight games with the Rockets before receiving the Canadiens' call-up in late November.

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The army had to clear the refusal before it could be sent to Laval. He said at the time he didn't believe his NHL career was over, but at his age and with only one season left on his $3.4 million contract, it sure seemed like it.

Army said working with the Canadiens' mental performance coach, Jean-Francois Menard, helped him. Among the many additions Menard Jeff Gorton has made to “revamp” the Canadiens is a new analytics department led by Christopher Boucher and the hiring of Adam Nicholas as director of hockey development since taking over as executive vice president of hockey operations. In November 2021.

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Army was a man of very few words when dealing with the media. He shrugs off many questions and then answers: “I don't know.” That's why the media rarely asked to interview him and it was hard to get to know him as a person.

Brendan Gallagher has been a teammate of Army's for the past six seasons, and the Finnish native says he's a different person when the media isn't around.

“I think it's just the Finns,” Gallagher said of Army's shyness. “When you talk to them they are very monotone. I think they are all like that. The army is like any other. He is a serious guy, but he also likes to have fun, likes to joke. It is a big part of our room.

“I think he deserves a lot of credit for the season he's had,” added Gallagher. “He could have taken it in different ways at the start of the season, but he always took it like a true professional. … He had his chances. He really took advantage of it. He's a really good teammate, a guy I've played with for a long time, and a guy everyone in this room is rooting for.”

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Asked what he likes about Army as a teammate, Gallagher laughed and said, “He's very picky when it comes to choosing a restaurant for dinner. Me and Jake (Evans) have been eating with him a little bit and we're pretty undecided. With the army, he knows exactly what he wants.”

What kind of food does the army like?

“Italian … and lots of it,” Gallagher said. “The army eats a lot. Either way, that's a lot of food. Pasta…that’s usually two servings. He usually eats two meals a day. I'm so dead.”

After scoring two goals in last Thursday night's 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Bell Center, Army gave his longest and best interview yet. He seemed much more comfortable and talked about his love for the game and how he used to be too hard on himself for his little mistakes.

“I feel like I play with the handbrake a lot,” he said. “I feel better now.

“It's an honor to play every day in this league,” Army added. “It doesn't guarantee anything. I come to the ice rink every day, the atmosphere is great. I am highly motivated. I think the entire coaching staff is doing a great job of keeping the guys motivated, learning new things and developing our game. … I've always loved (hockey). Obviously there are ups and downs, but I don't feel like the love for the game or anything has changed. I've always loved games and practice, just everything.”

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The Army even laughed when I made comments about Gallagher's appetite and ability to choose restaurants.

“I always try to pick the best one,” he said. “Those two guys (Gallagher and Evans) don't care where they eat.”

Armiya laughed again when asked about ordering two meals.

“I'm a big boy,” he said.

He plays like that now.

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