Latest news with #Bolduc
Montreal Gazette
6 days ago
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
What the Puck: Expect the Canadiens to take a step forward next season
Hockey Inside Out By In the sweltering dog days of July, our thoughts naturally turn to ... next season's Montreal Canadiens lineup! For us hockey obsessives, it's part of the beauty of living in Quebec — hockey talk never stops, even during a summer heat wave. I remember years ago swimming in a lake in the Townships and spending a half-hour in the water in the noonday sun chatting Habs with my buddy Karsten. The chatter is more animated than usual this summer, given that the Canadiens management team of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes have added some key pieces and let go a few supporting-role players. The big additions are defenceman Noah Dobson and winger Zachary Bolduc. Both are upgrades any which way you look at it. The signing of Montrealer Joe Veleno Wednesday is a much more minor add. The centre from Kirkland inked a one-year $900,000 contract with the Habs and presumably he's at best a fourth-line centre or maybe even someone who can help the Rocket in Laval. He's a left-shot centre and that's something the Canadiens strongly needed. But thus far in the National Hockey League, he's underwhelmed. The departures include David Savard, Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, Emil Heineman and Michael Pezzetta. Savard was very good on the penalty kill and did yeoman service blocking shots. But he retired for a reason — he was seriously banged up after all those years sacrificing his body on the ice and by last season he was literally lumbering around. With Dobson being added to the blue line, the D is better, no questions asked. Dvo and Army are big losses because, with Jake Evans, they were the team's key PK dudes. So others will have to step up in that department. Heineman was a forward with some toughness and skill, but Bolduc last season showed he can also play that gritty style and he clearly has way more offensive upside than Heineman. Here's the key question right now about nos Canadiens: Do you think they will take a step forward next season, a step back or stay at about the same level? I would say the team will take a modest step forward and will probably be back in the playoffs. But there are no guarantees. To move forward, Juraj Slafkovsky has to play a consistent full season, something he's yet to do. Patrick Laine has to continue to pop in those power-play goals on a regular basis. Lane Hutson can't have a sophomore slump. Dobson has to show that he's more like the guy who put up 70 points two seasons ago than he is the fellow who only garnered 39 points last season. Bolduc, honestly, I have no worries about. He's going to be great. The other cool thing is that with the addition of Veleno gives Montreal six Québécois players, the most local players the team has had since 2008-2009. I have to applaud this as a chap who published a book last year, Le CH et son peuple, that made the case that the bleu-blanc-rouge had their greatest success when the roster was at its most Québécois. The six Quebecers are Veleno, Bolduc, Alexandre Carrier, Mike Matheson, Samuel Montembeault and Samuel Blais. It's interesting to underline that the team now has two bilingual anglo West Islanders in Veleno and Matheson. So much for the stereotype of the unilingual anglo! I posed the question about whether the Habs were moving forward or backward to the hockey-mad folks on my social networks and here are a few responses. Neath Turcot: It's going to be the most interesting year in a long time. I do think they will make the playoffs. Is Montembeault going to step up and be the man? They now have second round potential, but maybe not enough experience to get beyond that. But they will be one of the most fun teams in the league to watch. Sébastien Joannette: 'Trust the process.' This time ... I actually believe. With Dobson finally giving us a real top-pair defenceman and Demidov arriving straight from his teenage KHL domination tour, things are starting to feel dangerously competent. Add a maturing core, a coach the players would probably follow into a volcano, and yeah — I'm all in. This season: big step forward. Two years from now? Parade planning. Don't act surprised. David Lametti: Improved on D: Dobson a major improvement, possibly Reinbacher. Improved top 6: Demidov gets a full season, Slaf only getting better; Bolduc; Dach healthy. Laine an enigma, but at least is healthy and hopefully a half-step quicker. Losing Armia and Dvorak is tough on the PK, but Evans still anchors it with Anderson. Bottom six of Evans, Anderson, Gallagher, Veleno, Newhook and room for Kapanen, Florian X, Beck. Goaltending is underrated and Fowler is waiting. Eminence grise: Probably won't make the playoffs, unless you think Joe Veleno just put them over the hump, lol. Adam Noodelman: I think a step forward in points but probably still a wild card in the playoffs because the top 3 teams in the Atlantic Division are still quite formidable in the regular season. Wild card 1 should be attainable though. Anna Winters: Same level. Doug Miller: We are going to be far better and an absolute joy to watch! Teams will not take the Habs lightly and will play their starting goalies all the time.
Montreal Gazette
03-07-2025
- Montreal Gazette
Jean-Paul Bainbridge denied parole in sentence for Isabelle Bolduc murder
By One of the men who took part in the kidnapping, rape and murder of a young woman from Sherbrooke nearly three decades ago has been denied parole. Jean-Paul Bainbridge, 54, has been eligible for full parole for four years for his role in the death of 22-year-old Isabelle Bolduc, a music student that he pulled off the streets of Sherbrooke on June 30, 1996. Bainbridge brought her back to an apartment where he had been drinking and consuming cocaine with two other convicted criminals named Marcel Blanchette and Guy Labonté. After what a judge later described as '18 hours of verbal, physical and psychological terrorism,' Bolduc was forced into a car. Bainbridge drove while Blanchette wrapped his arm around Bolduc's neck and strangled her. Both men struck her head with a metal pipe before Bainbridge dragged her body into a wooded area, where it was discovered a week later. All three men were arrested shortly after Bolduc's body was found. Bainbridge pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other offences like kidnapping. The guilty plea came with an automatic life sentence, but, in 1997, the judge who heard Bainbridge's case decided to set his period of parole ineligibility at 25 years. This made his sentence similar to one for a first-degree murder conviction. On Sept. 4, 1996, Blanchette pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. In 2023, he was granted permission to escorted leaves, the first step toward day parole. In 1997, Labonté pleaded guilty to forcible confinement and he received a seven-year prison term. Bainbridge was previously turned down twice for escorted leaved and, on June 26, he was scheduled to have a parole hearing, but he cancelled it at the last minute. Four days later, the Parole Board of Canada made a written decision to deny Bainbridge both day and full parole. 'The board believes that you will present an unacceptable risk to society if granted day parole and/or full parole, and that your release will not contribute to the protection of society by promoting your reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen,' the parole board wrote in the summary of its decision. 'Following (a decision to deny Bainbridge escorted leaves in 2018), you became involved again in institutional trafficking and in 2019 viewed pornography (on a contraband smartphone) containing incestuous sexual relations with teenage girls and involving the use of force, which is very concerning in light of your offences. 'Clearly, your deviant fantasies still seem present, and despite the programs you have followed over the years, you did not realize that this type of violent and deviant material, which you used to manage your emotions and frustrations, exposed you to your risk factors. It is particularly worrying that, even in a controlled and monitored environment, you are using violent and deviant sexual content.' The parole board also noted how Bainbridge, an Indigenous person who identifies as Métis and a member of the Blackfoot Nation, lost his 'position of trust as guardian of sacred Indigenous land in September 2024,' because he had been caught in possession of contraband, including homemade knives. 'During your childhood, you lived on a reserve and were introduced to Indigenous culture, but not to spirituality. You reportedly did not experience residential schools and are unaware if your (relatives) were victims,' the parole board wrote. '(You) grew up in a dysfunctional and unstable family environment, marked by violence and substance abuse.'
Ottawa Citizen
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Cowan: Canadiens' rebuild takes another step in right direction
You have to think the Canadiens would have selected Zachary Bolduc if he had been available when they had the 31st overall pick at the 2021 NHL Draft. Article content Bolduc, a right-winger, was ranked 17th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and the St. Louis Blues took the Trois-Rivières native with the 17th pick. Article content Former Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin ended up taking defenceman Logan Mailloux, who had been ranked 23rd by NHL Central Scouting, with the 31st pick. That created a firestorm because Mailloux had renounced himself from the draft, saying he didn't deserve the honour or privilege of being selected that year after secretly photographing an 18-year-old woman engaged in a sexual act with him while in Sweden in 2020 and sharing the picture and her identity with his teammates. Mailloux was charged in Sweden with defamation and offensive photography and was fined about $2,000. Article content Article content On Tuesday, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes got Bolduc from the Blues in exchange for Mailloux. The trade involving two 22-year-olds could be looked at like the Canadiens moving up 14 spots at the 2021 draft. Article content Bolduc had 19-17-36 totals in 72 games last season with the Blues, while Mailloux had 12-21-33 totals in 63 games with the AHL's Laval Rocket and 2-2-4 totals in seven games with the Canadiens. Mailloux became expendable after Hughes acquired 25-year-old defenceman Noah Dobson — also a right-hand shot — from the New York Islanders last Friday in exchange for the 16th and 17th overall picks at that night's NHL Draft and 23-year-old forward Emil Heineman. Article content Article content Hughes said it wasn't a case of things not working out with Mailloux — who has struggled with the defensive side of the game — but after acquiring Dobson, it allowed him to look for some much-needed offensive help at the forward position. Article content Article content Hughes likes Bolduc's offensive potential, noting he almost hit the 20-goal mark last season while averaging only 12:48 of ice time per game. Hughes added that the 6-foot, 187-pound Bolduc is a good skater and improved a lot last season with his physical play and forechecking. Bolduc also has 97 games of NHL experience, during which he has posted 24-21-45 totals. Mailloux has played only eight games in the NHL, with 2-3-5 totals. Article content 'I think when you can add experience and keep it young, that would be the ideal,' Hughes said when asked about the mix of youth and experience as the Canadiens head into Year 4 of their rebuild after becoming the youngest team to make the playoffs last season. 'I think that's the case in Noah Dobson's situation, where you get a young guy who played in the NHL as a teenager. He's 25, but he's got a significant amount of experience and, at the same time, can grow with our group. So that's important.'
Montreal Gazette
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Cowan: Canadiens' rebuild takes another step in right direction
Montreal Canadiens By You have to think the Canadiens would have selected Zachary Bolduc if he had been available when they had the 31st overall pick at the 2021 NHL Draft. Bolduc, a right-winger, was ranked 17th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and the St. Louis Blues took the Trois-Rivières native with the 17th pick. Former Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin ended up taking defenceman Logan Mailloux, who had been ranked 23rd by NHL Central Scouting, with the 31st pick. That created a firestorm because Mailloux had renounced himself from the draft, saying he didn't deserve the honour or privilege of being selected that year after secretly photographing an 18-year-old woman engaged in a sexual act with him while in Sweden in 2020 and sharing the picture and her identity with his teammates. Mailloux was charged in Sweden with defamation and offensive photography and was fined about $2,000. On Tuesday, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes got Bolduc from the Blues in exchange for Mailloux. The trade involving two 22-year-olds could be looked at like the Canadiens moving up 14 spots at the 2021 draft. Bolduc had 19-17-36 totals in 72 games last season with the Blues, while Mailloux had 12-21-33 totals in 63 games with the AHL's Laval Rocket and 2-2-4 totals in seven games with the Canadiens. Mailloux became expendable after Hughes acquired 25-year-old defenceman Noah Dobson — also a right-hand shot — from the New York Islanders last Friday in exchange for the 16th and 17th overall picks at that night's NHL Draft and 23-year-old forward Emil Heineman. Hughes said it wasn't a case of things not working out with Mailloux — who has struggled with the defensive side of the game — but after acquiring Dobson, it allowed him to look for some much-needed offensive help at the forward position. Hughes likes Bolduc's offensive potential, noting he almost hit the 20-goal mark last season while averaging only 12:48 of ice time per game. Hughes added that the 6-foot, 187-pound Bolduc is a good skater and improved a lot last season with his physical play and forechecking. Bolduc also has 97 games of NHL experience, during which he has posted 24-21-45 totals. Mailloux has played only eight games in the NHL, with 2-3-5 totals. 'I think when you can add experience and keep it young, that would be the ideal,' Hughes said when asked about the mix of youth and experience as the Canadiens head into Year 4 of their rebuild after becoming the youngest team to make the playoffs last season. 'I think that's the case in Noah Dobson's situation, where you get a young guy who played in the NHL as a teenager. He's 25, but he's got a significant amount of experience and, at the same time, can grow with our group. So that's important.' The Canadiens lost some experience when the NHL free-agent market opened Tuesday and centre Christian Dvorak, 29, signed a one-year, US$5.4-million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, while winger Joel Armia, 32, signed a two-year, US$5-million contract with the Los Angeles Kings. 'Bolduc is a little bit younger, he's not a rookie, and he's coming from a team that had a lot of experience around him, which we think is certainly helpful,' Hughes said. 'But the reality is we're not going to put the perfect team together in the course of one summer.' The Canadiens' roster is loaded with former first-round draft picks, including Bolduc, Dobson, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Patrik Laine, Ivan Demidov, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Kaiden Guhle and Matheson. There's also Lane Hutson, a second-round pick. When Jeff Gorton, the executive vice-president of hockey operations, met with the media last Thursday, he said he wouldn't consider it a disappointment if the Canadiens missed the playoffs next season as management keeps the focus on its long-term goal of building a team that won't just make the playoffs, but be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender for several years in a row. 'This is a big weekend for us and it's a big summer for us, but we're not going to do anything that's stupid,' Gorton said. The Canadiens have made some very smart moves since that statement in acquiring Dobson and Bolduc, while keeping two top prospects in defenceman David Reinbacher and centre Michael Hage, along with veteran defenceman Matheson. 'I think we can get in the playoffs again next year,' Hughes said. 'I hope that we do. I think when you're asked if it's a disappointment (missing the playoffs) it's a tricky thing in terms of the messaging. There's a messaging to the public, there's a messaging to your team. I hope we make the playoffs. 'As a roster, we probably have a better chance than maybe what we did last year at this time,' Hughes added. 'But we found our way and then other teams that maybe were expected to didn't. So we still got to play the games. I think we still have work to do here from a management perspective to get to where we want to be, but I like the direction we're heading in.' With good reason.
Vancouver Sun
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Cowan: Canadiens' rebuild takes another step in right direction
You have to think the Canadiens would have selected Zachary Bolduc if he had been available when they had the 31st overall pick at the 2021 NHL Draft. Bolduc, a right-winger, was ranked 17th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and the St. Louis Blues took the Trois-Rivières native with the 17th pick. Former Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin ended up taking defenceman Logan Mailloux , who had been ranked 23rd by NHL Central Scouting, with the 31st pick. That created a firestorm because Mailloux had renounced himself from the draft, saying he didn't deserve the honour or privilege of being selected that year after secretly photographing an 18-year-old woman engaged in a sexual act with him while in Sweden in 2020 and sharing the picture and her identity with his teammates. Mailloux was charged in Sweden with defamation and offensive photography and was fined about $2,000. On Tuesday, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes got Bolduc from the Blues in exchange for Mailloux. The trade involving two 22-year-olds could be looked at like the Canadiens moving up 14 spots at the 2021 draft. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Bolduc had 19-17-36 totals in 72 games last season with the Blues, while Mailloux had 12-21-33 totals in 63 games with the AHL's Laval Rocket and 2-2-4 totals in seven games with the Canadiens. Mailloux became expendable after Hughes acquired 25-year-old defenceman Noah Dobson — also a right-hand shot — from the New York Islanders last Friday in exchange for the 16th and 17th overall picks at that night's NHL Draft and 23-year-old forward Emil Heineman. Hughes said it wasn't a case of things not working out with Mailloux — who has struggled with the defensive side of the game — but after acquiring Dobson, it allowed him to look for some much-needed offensive help at the forward position. Hughes likes Bolduc's offensive potential, noting he almost hit the 20-goal mark last season while averaging only 12:48 of ice time per game. Hughes added that the 6-foot, 187-pound Bolduc is a good skater and improved a lot last season with his physical play and forechecking. Bolduc also has 97 games of NHL experience, during which he has posted 24-21-45 totals. Mailloux has played only eight games in the NHL, with 2-3-5 totals. 'I think when you can add experience and keep it young, that would be the ideal,' Hughes said when asked about the mix of youth and experience as the Canadiens head into Year 4 of their rebuild after becoming the youngest team to make the playoffs last season. 'I think that's the case in Noah Dobson's situation, where you get a young guy who played in the NHL as a teenager. He's 25, but he's got a significant amount of experience and, at the same time, can grow with our group. So that's important.' The Canadiens lost some experience when the NHL free-agent market opened Tuesday and centre Christian Dvorak , 29, signed a one-year, US$5.4-million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, while winger Joel Armia , 32, signed a two-year, US$5-million contract with the Los Angeles Kings. 'Bolduc is a little bit younger, he's not a rookie, and he's coming from a team that had a lot of experience around him, which we think is certainly helpful,' Hughes said. 'But the reality is we're not going to put the perfect team together in the course of one summer.' The Canadiens' roster is loaded with former first-round draft picks, including Bolduc, Dobson, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Patrik Laine, Ivan Demidov, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Kaiden Guhle and Matheson. There's also Lane Hutson, a second-round pick. When Jeff Gorton, the executive vice-president of hockey operations, met with the media last Thursday, he said he wouldn't consider it a disappointment if the Canadiens missed the playoffs next season as management keeps the focus on its long-term goal of building a team that won't just make the playoffs, but be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender for several years in a row. 'This is a big weekend for us and it's a big summer for us, but we're not going to do anything that's stupid,' Gorton said. The Canadiens have made some very smart moves since that statement in acquiring Dobson and Bolduc, while keeping two top prospects in defenceman David Reinbacher and centre Michael Hage , along with veteran defenceman Matheson. 'I think we can get in the playoffs again next year,' Hughes said. 'I hope that we do. I think when you're asked if it's a disappointment (missing the playoffs) it's a tricky thing in terms of the messaging. There's a messaging to the public, there's a messaging to your team. I hope we make the playoffs. 'As a roster, we probably have a better chance than maybe what we did last year at this time,' Hughes added. 'But we found our way and then other teams that maybe were expected to didn't. So we still got to play the games. I think we still have work to do here from a management perspective to get to where we want to be, but I like the direction we're heading in.' With good reason.
