NHL: Montreal Canadiens at Winnipeg Jets - Source: Imagn — Former head coach gives honest opinion on Team Canada's Sam Montembeault selection being a mistake. (Image Source: Imagn)

Former head coach gives honest opinion on Team Canada's Sam Montembeault selection being a mistake

Modified Dec 16, 2024 12:00 GMT

Former head coach Bruce Boudreau expressed his views on the selection of Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault, suggesting that it was a mistake.

On TSN's "That's Hockey" show, Boudreau emphasized that his concern isn't about the goalie's skills but rather his lack of experience in high-pressure situations.

"I think it's reality that they made a mistake, and I'll tell you why. It's not because of Sam's goaltending or his goals-against average or anything. I mean, it looks to me like he's set to be the number three goalie now," Boudreau said.

"If the number three goalie has to play, he's going to be playing in the championship game, that's the way I look at it. Or, if somebody gets hurt in a very important game."

Boudreau believes in having a goalie with playoff experience, particularly who has Stanley Cup or playoff experience. He expressed doubts about Sam Montembeault's ability to perform under such pressure, suggesting that the goalie might feel nervous in those situations.

"I think he's never been in that situation, so it would be tough for the third goalie to go in and be great. I just think he might be a little nervous. Maybe I'm way out to lunch, but I wanted somebody with some experience to be the third goalie if I was on Team Canada," he added (0:53).

The Canadiens goalie was selected alongside Golden Knights' Adin Hill and Blues' Jordan Binnington on the Team Canada roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament scheduled to take from Feb 12-20.

Sam Montembeault aims for strong showing to secure starting spot

Sam Montembeault talked about the competitive nature of goaltending selections for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

He emphasized that it will be crucial for him to play well to secure his stop as the starting goalie.

"They’ll probably go with whoever is hot when the tournament starts,” Montembeault said.

“There isn’t much time to practice before it begins, so it will probably be the goalie who’s in the best groove who will get to start. So, it’s up to me to play some good hockey right now.”

Sam Montembeault has posted a 9-13-2 record with a 2.01 goals-against-average and a .900 save percentage in 24 games for the Montreal Canadiens, who are bottom in the Atlantic Division.