How many times, since the beginning of the Montreal Canadiens' regular schedule, do we hear "play the youngsters"? Too many times. Then the idea of most fans about "development" is wrong.
On this subject, André Tourigny, during his appearance on TVA Sports' "L'Après-Match", explained the definition of development perfectly. After reading these lines, your perception should change immediately!
I'll give you an example: if you have a 12-year-old guy who wants to be a doctor, send him to college right away, he's going to learn, he's going to make mistakes and he's going to be a doctor at some point. But that's not the way it works. You have to go to high school first, then to college, and eventually you do your internship and you become a doctor. Everything in its own time. If you try to rush things, you're not helping the development. It's the same thing in hockey.
The world says, play the kid. Okay, make him fail every day. That's good for his confidence! That develops a player. However that's not how it works!
You have to get the kid to a level where he can execute well, perform well. It could be in the American Hockey League or in junior. There is nothing more false than believing that having him play at a higher level will allow him to develop further. He has to be at a level where he can do well. Otherwise, it won't work his case and he'll get demotivated."
