Mike Matheson’s father, Rod, should be blissful he doesn’t have to purchase his son’s hockey sticks anymore.
The Canadiens defenceman broke three sticks throughout Wednesday evening’s 3-2 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets on the Bell Centre. The third stick broke through the remaining minute of additional time when Matheson was arrange by Cole Caufield for a one-timer with an awesome likelihood to finish the sport and the stick snapped in half. A frustated Matheson threw the piece of stick left in his hand away in disgust.
Fortunately for the Canadiens and Matheson, Caufield was capable of rating the profitable purpose within the shootout. In any other case, Matheson’s third damaged stick may have value the Canadiens a degree within the standings.
Matheson makes use of
a Warrior Covert QR6 Professional stick
, which sells for about $400. NHL groups pay for his or her gamers’ sticks, even when a participant has an endorsement take care of an organization, like Matheson does with Warrior.
Matheson didn’t need to discuss a lot about his damaged sticks after follow Friday in Brossard, as a substitute desirous to deal with how nicely the Canadiens performed Wednesday evening and an vital recreation in opposition to the Maple Leafs on Saturday in Toronto
(7 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports activities).
“It’s irritating,” Matheson mentioned in regards to the damaged sticks. “We’re enjoying vital video games and that’s the place my head’s at.”
Has he ever damaged three sticks earlier than in the identical recreation?
“Not that I keep in mind, no,” Matheson mentioned, including it was only a fluke factor.
Mike Matheson antoi kaikkensa, mikä saattoi olla jopa liikaa. 😅🏒 pic.twitter.com/oYUGKvoy4W
— NHL Suomi (@NHL_fi) December 4, 2025
The Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher additionally makes use of a Warrior Covert QR6 Professional stick.
“I used to be able to make a name (to Warrior),” Gallagher mentioned with a chuckle after Friday’s follow. “We are able to snort about it immediately. However I felt his frustration. Possibly get him a brand new batch.”
Whereas rising up on Montreal’s West Island, Matheson mentioned he performed with wooden sticks till he reached the bantam stage. His two older siblings — sister Kelly and brother Kenny — additionally performed hockey and all three went by the hockey Sport-études program at John Rennie Excessive Faculty. Their dad and mom undoubtedly spent a couple of bucks on hockey sticks over time.
“I keep in mind one time it occurred the place we type of splurged for a few sticks that had been the brand new one-piece sticks and my brother and I broke each of ours in our first recreation,” Matheson recalled. “300 {dollars} down the drain, or no matter it was.”
Dangerous break for Dobson
Canadiens defenceman Noah Dobson can relate to what occurred with Matheson’s stick throughout additional time Wednesday evening.
Whereas enjoying for Crew Canada on the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship in Vancouver, Dobson had his stick snap in half with an open web staring him within the face throughout additional time of a quarter-final recreation in opposition to Finland with the rating tied 1-1. After the missed alternative, the Finns went the opposite method with the puck and fewer than 10 seconds later scored the profitable purpose that eradicated Crew Canada. Finland went on to win the gold medal, beating Crew USA within the remaining.
“It was powerful,” Dobson recalled after follow Friday. “It was simply extra disappointing in the results of ending that method. Canada on the planet juniors has such excessive expectations yearly and to lose within the quarter-finals and lose that method on Canadian soil, all the things added up. It was tough, particularly for the week after, you’re upset and the match’s nonetheless happening and also you’re heading residence.
“Nevertheless it’s a part of the sport,” Dobson added. “It’s not one thing I may actually management. So you’re taking it with a grain of salt and transfer ahead.”
PAMA Hockey, an organization in Finland that makes hockey sticks, had some enjoyable with Dobson after the world junior championship and shipped one among their sticks to his household’s residence in Summerside, P.E.I., together with a letter that learn:
Expensive Noah!
We at PAMA Hockey really feel sorry that your tools gave up on you on the worst attainable second.
We all know how well mannered the Canadians are, so we need to offer you this Finnish hockey stick, PAMA PHX Carbon as a present for an awesome hockey recreation. We hope the perfect for you in your upcoming profession.
Sincerely
Antti-Jussi Tiitola
PAMA Hockey
Finland
Dobson can snort in regards to the reward now and mentioned he thinks that stick continues to be someplace at his household’s home.
NHL stick budgets are costly
With the Canadiens, Dobson now makes use of
a Bauer Vapor FLYLITE stick
, which sells for about $440.
“It’s type of a fluke factor, it’s a bizarre factor,” Dobson mentioned about Matheson breaking three sticks in the identical recreation. “I discover it often occurs to the identical man time and again. I keep in mind final yr (when he was with the New York Islanders) Brock Nelson was breaking his stick on the faceoff nearly each different one. It’s like an anomaly, actually. It’s what it’s.
“I believe guys are at all times trying to get higher and in the event that they really feel like their sticks should not doing it for them they’ll make modifications,” Dobson added. “Nevertheless it was simply type of a fluky factor.”
Dobson mentioned he makes use of a brand new stick each recreation and reuses the sport sticks in follow.
“I actually by no means actually ask,” Dobson chuckled when requested what number of sticks he makes use of throughout a season. “I’m scared to ask the trainers. It’s a type of issues the place you type of simply let it sit.”
Dobson figures he goes by about 100 sticks a season, however is aware of of different gamers who use near 400.
Minute muncher
Matheson leads the Canadiens in ice time with a median of 24:46 per recreation, which ranks ninth within the NHL. The 31-year-old logged a season-high 29:25 in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Nov. 17.
I requested Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis after Friday’s follow if there’s a most quantity of ice time he retains in thoughts for Matheson throughout a recreation.
“I believe it relies on the sport,” St. Louis mentioned. “However we’re looking for pockets throughout video games the place we will lighten the load a bit bit. We all know he can log minutes and we obtained to watch out of simply understanding that we all know that.”
Matheson is in improbable form and is an easy skater, which permits him to play so many minutes. It’s additionally a purpose the Canadiens signed him final week to a five-year, US$30-million contract extension that kicks in subsequent season.
Because the begin of the 2023-24 season no participant within the NHL has logged extra ice time than Matheson with 4,745 minutes. Minnesota Wild defenceman Brock Faber ranks second with 4,719, adopted by Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar with 4,644.
I requested Matheson after Friday’s follow if he’s conscious what number of minutes he’s logging whereas the sport is occurring.
“Somewhat bit,” he mentioned. “I believe you may type of sense it a bit bit. However there are video games the place I really feel like I performed extra and I didn’t — and there’s some the place I really feel I didn’t play as a lot and I truly come again and it’s 29 (minutes). It simply relies upon.”
Billy Matheson?
Matheson was a visitor this week
on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast
and was requested how he obtained the nickname “Billy” from
the film Billy Madison, starring Adam Sandler
.
“This began once I was in Florida,” Matheson mentioned. “Bear in mind Mike Hoffman known as me Billy and it by no means caught in any respect in Florida. So, clearly, it’s due to Billy Madison — like Mike Matheson — and it by no means caught in Florida. He introduced it right here in Montreal (when Hoffman joined the Canadiens) and all of the younger guys thought it was hilarious, in order that’s been it ever since.”
I requested Brendan Gallagher, now in his 14th season with the Canadiens, what’s the perfect nickname he remembers a teammate having.
“I at all times favored Tuna (for Tomas Tatar),” Gallagher mentioned. “We didn’t give it to him, however I at all times thought that was a very good nickname. Billy’s a very good one.”
Tomas Holmstrom gave Tatar the Tuna nickname once they had been teammates with the Detroit Purple Wings.
Xhekaj rising into to his position — Half 1
St. Louis not wants to speak with defenceman Arber Xhekaj about when he ought to or shouldn’t drop the gloves and battle.
Throughout final Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to Ottawa on the Bell Centre, Senators tough-guy Kurtis MacDermid stored making an attempt to get Xhekaj to battle him. The 6-foot-5, 233-pound MacDermid is likely one of the few gamers left within the NHL who’s there for principally one purpose — he can battle. MacDermid has solely dressed for 9 video games this season, has no factors and 16 penalty minutes, and logged solely 2:58 of ice time in opposition to the Canadiens. He’s averaging 4:16 of ice time this season.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Xhekaj was sensible to not have interaction with MacDermid whereas logging 12:48 of ice time himself. Shedding Xhekaj for 5 minutes after a combating penalty and leaving the Canadiens with 5 defencemen throughout that span wouldn’t have been a wise trade-off to battle a man who nearly by no means will get on the ice and wouldn’t be missed whereas sitting within the penalty field.
“I believe two, three years in the past, I’d have these conversations with Aber,” St. Louis mentioned after the sport in opposition to the Senators. “I believe he’s figured it out. I belief him.”
Xhekaj admitted it was powerful to not get “sucked in” by MacDermid.
“You need to (battle him) … you don’t need him to be asking you and also you shrink back after which persons are going to start out speculating,” Xhekaj mentioned. “Actually, if he had been to do one thing — throw an enormous hit or one thing — I’d be there. But when he’s not going to do something … perhaps I may have executed it within the second (interval) when he tried to hit me to get the staff going a bit bit. However you bought to be sensible.
“He’s there for one purpose,” Xhekaj added. “Should you go together with him you’re falling proper into his arms and making him helpful for the staff. He’s obtained a troublesome job, too. I respect that. If he had been to do one thing, it will give me extra of a purpose to guard my guys.”
Xhekaj rising into to his position — Half 2
Through the first interval of Wednesday’s recreation in opposition to Winnipeg, Xhekaj didn’t hesitate in dropping the gloves to battle Jets captain Adam Lowry after he threw an enormous bodycheck on Canadiens defenceman Alexandre Service.
“I used to be most likely going to ask Lowry if he needed one (battle) early within the recreation as a result of they’re type of going by a troublesome stint and so are we a bit bit,” Xhekaj mentioned after that recreation. “I really feel prefer it was the best time to ask him. That was my first shift in opposition to him and he threw successful. It’s a clear hit. I’m not going to problem guys after clear hits like that, however I believed it was the best time. He type of checked out me instantly. He needed one (battle) to spark his staff and identical for me. It was the proper time there.
“I respect Lowry’s recreation,” Xhekaj added in regards to the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Jets captain who averages 14:05 of ice time a recreation. “He performs an awesome recreation. He didn’t must take that battle, however he type of knew the place his staff was at and I knew the place mine was. I didn’t even must say something. He simply appeared again and it was like: ‘Let’s go, bro!’ He’s a man who performs a tough recreation, however he follows The Code rather well. He’s a very good man.”
Xhekaj received the battle with Lowry after shedding two of his three earlier fights in opposition to Tanner Jeannot of the Boston Bruins and Nicolas Deslauriers of the Philadelphia Flyers.
“It’s large,” Xhekaj mentioned about profitable the battle with Lowry. “Once you lose a few fights you begin pondering an excessive amount of. Have I misplaced it? What’s happening? However I’m fairly mentally robust. I believe that type of helps with the combating position. Nevertheless it undoubtedly helps to have a very good one tonight.”
Xhekaj mentioned he appreciates the actual fact he has earned the belief of St. Louis in the case of his position.
“We’re on the level the place he type of lets me go by my judgment,” Xhekaj mentioned. “I do know what the staff wants and what we don’t. It’s a troublesome job, however you bought to do it.”
It truly is a troublesome position
Being a fighter within the NHL is, certainly, a troublesome job.
“I can’t think about,” Matheson mentioned when requested in regards to the position Xhekaj performs with the Canadiens. “I believe it’s very tough. I attempt to be there for him and attempt to assume forward of what he could be pondering a bit bit and attempt to assist him with that. I can think about it’s obtained to be tough. It’s a complete type of totally different recreation that he’s getting ready for and it may simply turn out to be a distraction to the precise hockey recreation that he has to play and I believe he handles it rather well.”
St. Louis mentioned he was actually impressed with the best way Xhekaj performed the final two video games, offering high quality minutes. Xhekaj had 12:48 of ice time in opposition to the Senators and 13:41 in opposition to the Jets. He’s averaging 11:52 for the season.
St. Louis added the extra high quality minutes Xhekaj can present, the extra amount of minutes he’ll get.
“The combating is his enterprise,” St. Louis mentioned. “It’s not a straightforward job, however he does a very good job.”
I requested Xhekaj what’s the hardest a part of his job?
“You bought to be prepared for it, for certain,” he mentioned. “You bought to be prepared always. It’s similar to I’m a man who performs onerous and I do know that he (an opposing powerful man) performs onerous, too. If they’ve one other man on the opposite aspect who performs that heavy recreation I do know that if he does one thing I obtained to be there for my staff and, vice versa, if I do one thing he’s obtained to be there for his staff. I’ve gotten rather a lot higher at simply enjoying after which if one thing occurs, it occurs. It helps extra (with combating), I believe, if you consider it rather a lot. However then your recreation slides since you’re simply fascinated by the combating facet. I discover personally I do higher (combating) once I’m fascinated by the combating, locked in and zoned in on what I’m going to do. However then I can’t play my recreation. So I discovered simply go away the combating factor alone. Play the sport and get into the sport and all the things will likely be nice.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s my complete recreation, however I’d say it’s nonetheless an enormous a part of who I’m, and as a lot as folks say: ‘He doesn’t must battle,’ I believe it simply helps me out,” Xhekaj added. “Will get me within the recreation. It’s type of one thing that I nonetheless have satisfaction in and it offers me area on the ice and type of lets everybody know on the opposite aspect in case you’re going to do one thing I’ll most likely be there. I obtained to maintain that in my recreation, for certain.”
A short style of NHL life
Xhekaj’s youthful brother, Florian, was despatched again all the way down to the AHL’s Laval Rocket after being made a wholesome scratch for Wednesday’s recreation in opposition to the Jets. In 5 video games with the Canadiens, Florian had one help and one battle with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Dakota Mermis.
Florian had an opportunity to make his first NHL highway journey with the Canadiens on constitution flights to Utah, Las Vegas and Colorado.
Other than the hockey, what was the best a part of the highway journey?
“I believe Vegas,” Florian mentioned earlier than he was despatched again to Laval. “Me, (Jared) Davidson and (Adam) Engstrom, we walked down the strip for a bit bit after follow. It was fairly cool to see that. The entire life-style is fairly insane. It’s similar to a dream you’re residing in type of.”
Now, Florian — and Engstrom — are again to driving the bus for highway video games with Laval.
“I believe the longest one we’ve got is Cleveland … it’s like 12 hours or one thing,” Florian mentioned in regards to the bus journeys. “It’s not enjoyable.”
Xhekaj scored two objectives and added an help within the Rocket’s 5-2 highway win over the Belleville Senators on Friday evening, giving him 4-3-7 totals in 14 video games with Laval this season. The Rocket are in first place within the North Division with a 16-6-0 document.
Trending up
Cole Caufield:
He prolonged his level streak to 9 video games by choosing up an help in opposition to the Jets and likewise scored the profitable purpose within the shootout. Within the final 9 video games Caufield has 2-11th of September totals.
Nick Suzuki:
The captain prolonged his level streak to seven video games with an help in opposition to the Jets. He has 4-6-10 totals within the final seven video games.
Energy play:
The Canadiens’ energy play is 6-for-10 over the past 5 video games, enhancing to 26.4 per cent for the season, which ranks fourth within the NHL.
Trending down
Jake Evans:
The defensive-minded centre is a team-worst minus-15. He was minus-3 in Tuesday’s loss to the Senators and located himself benched, ending the sport with a season-low 9:22 of ice time.
Samuel Montembeault:
The Canadiens have received solely one of many final six video games he has performed in purpose, throughout which he has a .855 save proportion. He seems to have misplaced his No. 1 job to Jakub Dobes, who will make his second straight begin Saturday evening in Toronto.
Jared Davidson:
He has but to register a degree in six video games since getting known as up from the Rocket and was made a wholesome scratch for 3 consecutive video games earlier than enjoying in opposition to the Jets.
And eventually …
Saturday marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Canadiens buying and selling goalie Patrick Roy to the Colorado Avalanche, together with captain Mike Keane, in trade for forwards Andrei Kovalenko and Martin Rucinsky and goalie Jocelyn Thibault.
It was the start of a protracted downfall for the Canadiens.
The commerce got here 4 days after head coach Mario Tremblay left Roy in web for 9 objectives earlier than lastly pulling him halfway by the second interval of an 11-2 loss to the Detroit Purple Wings on the Discussion board. After leaving the ice, Roy spoke with staff president Ronald Corey, who was sitting behind the bench, telling him he had performed his final recreation with the Canadiens.
THIS DATE IN #HABS HISTORYDec. 6, 1995; Goalie Patrick Roy was traded to Colorado, together with captain Mike Keane, in trade for forwards Andrei Kovalenko and Martin Rucinsky and goalie Jocelyn Thibault. This is entrance web page of The Gazette Sports activities part from the following day: pic.twitter.com/6BPdJII6MV
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) December 6, 2025
“I’m
blissful
immediately,” Roy instructed reporters after the commerce was made. “
It’s going to be totally different.
The final week has been like a roller-coaster. I used to be actually
disenchanted
Saturday evening, however now I’m
blissful
immediately.
Bob Sauvé (Roy’s agent) instructed me I needed to be able to go wherever and I used to be — however the Avalanche was my first alternative.”
Roy would assist the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup that season and he received one other Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001.
The Canadiens received their final two Stanley Cups — in 1986 and 1993 — with Roy in purpose.
scowan@postmedia.com
x.com/StuCowan1
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