Patrik Laine shares surprising conversation details with Cedric Pare post incident
Photo credit: HTR
In a recent interview, Patrik Laine discussed everything that happened over the past week and revealed some brief excerpts of his talks with Leafs player Cedric Pare.
At the Montreal Canadiens' Thursday morning training session in Mont-Tremblant, despite his current injury, Patrik Laine still wanted to be with his team and spend time with his teammates.
Additionally, his presence at the practice excited the players and fans, who valued his attempt to be a member of the team despite his absence. Since he wasn't a part of training, Laine's time with teammates away from the rink at the Mont-Tremblant camp helped boost morale. It was essentially a team retreat.
The star player for the Montreal Canadiens stated in a statement on Thursday in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, that he isn't holding anyone accountable for his injury, even though he wishes he could play with his teammates.
"It's fun to be around, obviously much rather be on the ice," Laine said. "Kind of dodged a bullet with the knee; it could've been much worse. I mean, I'm not still happy with the injury, but it is what is and just trying to stay positive. We'll be back."
Laine is expected to miss two to three months due to the injury, but the Canadiens announced on Tuesday that he will not require surgery.
"Got some good opinions, but at the end of the day, it was my call to make, whatever we wanted to do," he said. "The team and everyone else gave me all the help with that, and at the end of the day, just decided not to do surgery and just do rehab and let it heal."
Following a knee-on-knee collision with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare during a preseason game last Saturday, Laine remained on the ice, holding onto his knee while receiving treatment from a team trainer. He then had to be helped off the ice by two teammates, keeping pressure off his left leg.
Naturally, that caused a lot of discussion right away in the hockey world, with people speculating about the hit's purpose and potential for dirty play. But he quickly eased everyone's anxiety by saying he had no ill will toward Pare and that it was just an unfortunate aspect of the game.
"It's a fast game, it wasn't my intention," Pare said when asked about the hit after the game. "It's unfortunate, I hope he's fine."
In addition, Laine revealed on Thursday that Pare had contacted him to apologize afterwards. However, he added that he doesn't hold the Maple Leaf responsible for the injury because, in his opinion, he himself mishandled the play.
"I don't think anybody's trying to hurt anybody," he said. "Hockey's a fast game and kind of put myself in that situation a little bit trying to make a stop. It's just an unfortunate collision and he texted me afterwards, which I give him respect for that."
Patrik Laine has continued to be a prominent figure and a kind of ombudsman for the Canadiens' fighting mentality as they continue their bonding in training camp in Mont-Tremblant.
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