Michael McNiven surprised the hockey world yesterday by publicly expressing his displeasure with the Montreal Canadiens organization. In particular, he denounced a situation that occurred during his first game of the season.
Apparently, head coach Jean-François Houle decided to leave McNiven in front of the Laval Rocket cage, even if the goalie was injured. McNiven would have asked several times to come out of the net, but Houle would not budge. The goalie then allowed three goals, due to his physical discomfort on the ice.
Today, the Rocket pilot Jean-François Houle broke silence regarding these famous accusations from his backup goalie. According to him, he would never have let McNiven guard the net in a situation where he was not comfortable. These words are rather contradictory to those of the goaltender.
Furthermore, everything seems to indicate that the coach wanted to send a message to McNiven, because he will send Cayden Primeau in the scrum tonight against the Marlies. According to Anthony Marcotte, Houle has instituted a plan to alternate between the two goaltenders since the beginning of the season. Normally, McNiven would be the one in net tonight, but his frustration could be the reason for Jean-François Houle's decision.
It's not every day that a player publicly denounces his team's actions. It can have a positive impact, but it can also have negative repercussions. A certain awkwardness could be established within the Laval team.
