Islanders’ Canadian players look forward to a summer at home
Jean-Gabriel Pageau grew up in Ottawa, performed the majority of his junior profession in Gatineau, Quebec, simply on the opposite facet of the Ottawa River, and spent his first six-plus seasons within the NHL enjoying for his hometown Senators.
So having household all the time close by was a given.
However Pageau was traded to the Islanders on Feb. 24, 2020 and, just a little greater than two weeks later, the COVID-19 pandemic successfully altered every thing. The border-crossing restrictions put in place between the U.S. and Canada meant gamers typically went lengthy stretches with out seeing their households.
The border restrictions have lastly eased and one unintended good thing about the Islanders lacking the playoffs for the primary time since 2018 is an extended offseason to spend with household.
“It’s going to be my longest stretch, for certain,” Pageau stated of returning to Ottawa this offseason. “I’ll be right here [on Long Island] for a marriage this summer time. However, aside from that, I’ll be in Ottawa with my household. It’s going to be good to have my spouse’s household there, too. My household, our mates. Simply form of get collectively. One thing that we didn’t have the possibility to do again when the restrictions arrived.
“It’s going to really feel good, positively. It’s one thing you don’t understand once I was enjoying in Ottawa, they had been all the time round. While you go away, you see how a lot you miss them. I’m excited to see them once more for just a little bit.”
There’s a psychological part to this, and never only for the Canadian gamers who gown for U.S.-based groups. The pandemic additionally made returning residence to see household for longer stretches tougher for the European gamers as nicely.
Anthony Beauvillier, who grew up exterior of Montreal in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, stated he wouldn’t describe the scenario as “a serious concern or something.”
Nonetheless, Beauvillier was wanting ahead to his prolonged keep at residence with household.
“It really might be good to see household for a protracted time frame and never simply rush and see them on weekends and whatnot,” Beauvillier. “Will probably be good to have a summer time with the household.
“I really feel prefer it’s been like that for everybody. Everybody has household everywhere in the world. It’s been robust. Not seeing my mother and father as typically, and household.”
Noah Dobson — who had a breakout season at age 22 — and burly fourth-liner Ross Johnston, merchandise of Prince Edward Island, the smallest of Canada’s 13 provinces when it comes to dimension and with a inhabitants of solely roughly 157,000, are additionally wanting ahead to a summer time at residence.
“We do prepare collectively,” stated Johnston, from Charlottetown. “I feel it’s nice. PEI isn’t very huge and to have us each from the New York Islanders’ group in a position to return there and prepare and spend time on Prince Edward Island is fairly particular. We relish the chance of going residence and seeing each other there after which seeing our lives down right here, it’s fairly cool to do this collectively.”
“I haven’t seen my household an entire lot so it’ll be good to get residence and see some family and friends,” stated Dobson, who’s from Summerside. “Over my first three years, my mother and father in all probability didn’t get to see me play as a lot as they might have favored simply with all of the restrictions. Having that opening up, it’s all the time good to see family and friends.”
Notes & quotes: Kieffer Bellows was one in all 13 forwards named to the U.S. squad for the IIHF World Championships in Finland and Mathew Barzal will reportedly play for Hockey Canada. The match opens on Friday and runs by way of Might 29.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cowl the Islanders. He started reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has beforehand coated the Rangers and Devils. Different assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
