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Last week when Rene Bourque was made a healthy scratch by Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien, he commented that the organization had hoped that he could recapture some of the magic he had in last year's playoffs, but 13 games in it just wasn't there, so they had to try something else.
Today, after Rene Bourque was sent to the AHL to join the Hamilton Bulldogs after clearing waivers, Therrien met the media to explain the reasoning behind it, and what to expect from Bourque going forward.
Michel Therrien says #Habs are not closing any doors on Rene Bourque. Want him to find his game in Hamilton.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) November 10, 2014
Therrien says it's not a matter of losing confidence in Bourque, it's a matter of a lack if results.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) November 10, 2014
Personally, I think this is just sparing Bourque's feelings a little bit, but with the new CBA, re-entry waivers no longer exist, so the Canadiens could, in theory, recall Rene Bourque without penalty at any time. Should he light up the AHL and play with a good attitude, it's possible that he could play for the Habs again, but in all honesty it seems much more likely that a string of good games would see him traded more likely than back in Montreal.
"After what we saw in the playoffs, we had hope for this season. But that's not what we saw." - Michel Therrien on Rene Bourque.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) November 10, 2014
"You don't want your young players to be wasting their time either. We felt enough was enough" - Therrien on Sekac getting in the lineup
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) November 10, 2014
This is, again, one of those Therrien quotes that doesn't make much sense. If Therrien doesn't want to waste the time of young players like Jiri Sekac, then why scratch him seven straight games? It's not like he didn't have a choice, Sekac played well in the first six games, and the Canadiens didn't need to roll four grinders in the bottom six. Enough is enough of what? Enough of Therrien's own stubbornness? I don't get it at all.
Therrien said it's important Bourque shows up in Hamilton with the right attitude. Yet his attitude here was the problem. #AlmostanNHLer
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) November 10, 2014
It's going to be very tough for Bourque to earn his way back up, or at least it should be.