#AskBoucher

Look! Former Volts' coach Guy Boucher chatted with fans this morning!

Of course he's multitasking by drawing up plays at the same time. Were you really surprised by that? Honestly.


Entire transcript is here. Some highlights:

1. #AskBoucher how was it to be probably one of the only people to slap shot the 1st pitch at a baseball game? #BoltsAtTheBallpark
   — Michelle Spring (@MichelleSpring6) 3 hours ago 

   @MichelleSpring6 Major relief when it was done, but it was a lot of fun. It was actually a dare from Joe Maddon ^GB #AskBoucher — Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) 2 hours ago  

   #AskBoucher if you could pick any nhl player on your team why and who?  — justin leger (@justinleger4) 3 hours ago  

   @justinleger4 The ones I got right now ^GB #AskBoucher — Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) 2 hours ago 

   @tblightning We need a sub on my beer league team, can you send someone over? I'm sure someone has some time to kill. #askboucher  — Ol' Man Jesse (@jdreade) 2 hours ago 

   @jdreade I can send assistant coach Marty Raymond and Dan Lacroix and Nigel. They're on their way ^GB #AskBoucher — Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) 2 hours ago

Also flustered little ol' me:

1. @TBLightning a few players you've coached are now playing for your alma mater. have you been to any games at mcconnell lately? #askboucher
   — Kathy K (@czechtacular) 2 hours ago 

   @czechtacular I keep up with what's going on but I haven't been to any games lately. Last one I watched was Nat'l Champ game ^GB #AskBoucher — Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) 2 hours ago

And the infamous how-you-got-the-scar question:

I'll give you two guesses: either my tough wife or a shark fight. You pick! One of them put me in my place! ^GB #AskBoucher

If I had problems with the 140 character limit (in addition to not keysmashing all over Twitter), I'd assume that he...probably never wants to do this again. Remember that time he took up an entire intermission's worth on VOX with a press conference and they had to cut him off to get back to the game on time? Fun times.

Voltigeurs news: Oh right, there was also a game last night.

GOALS	1	2	3	Total
P.E.I.	1	0	0	1
Drummondville	1	2	2	5

PEI: Marcotte.
Drummondville: Milson (2), Murray, Malouin (2). Alliteration goals for the win (literally).

Guindon made 22 saves. Graham was back as his backup, seemingly recovered from his injuries.

Jérôme Verrier, in addition to picking up two helpers last night, made it onto the Q site. Read about Drummondville's leading scorer (en français) here.

Around the league: It would appear our trading BFFs have a new head coach.

Stephane Leroux@StephRDSJunior

Officiel Danny Dupont est le nouvel entraineur chef du #Titan contrat de 3 ans

Also, Étienne Boutet is apparently the new Glen Metropolit, picking up an assist essentially right after being traded from Rimouski to Gatineau and merely having to cross over one dressing room to suit up for the game.

Comings, goings, and Euro-hoggings

Labrie, we hardly knew ye: Cue some more anger from Philippe Venne's supporters in Drummondville, as two games and a +1 is all she wrote for Ryan Labrie in a Voltigeurs' uniform. It was announced yesterday that Labrie left the team for the waiver wire on an apparent "mutual agreement." Should he not be claimed, he's headed for Vaudreuil Dorion in the LHJAAAQ. Most people who read that article are probably already adamant that that eighth-rounder in 2013 better be the next Derick Brassard.

(Venne has yet to score a point with his new team, who has gone 2-11-1-1 this season, so that's a little understandable.)

Murray moves up: Jordan Murray has a new role with the Voltigeurs. The fourth-leading scorer on the team with 11 points thus far this season is changing up from rearguard to forward. Not only that, he's headed to the first line.

Having scored 44 goals and allowed 53 against, you might say that the offensive needs of the Volts are pretty clear. M-O Brouillard, Jérôme Verrier and Olivier Archambault have shouldered most of that load. While Murray will skate with Brouillard and Jérémie Malouin (if the latter is ready to play), he is expected to continue occupying the point on the power play.

First and last comment on the CHLPA thing: So that's where Hockeyinsiderr disappeared to!

Got Euros?: In this season's instalment of Phrase-Recycling 101: So it would appear that (Sorensen, Kucherov, Grigorenko) has an injured (foot, shoulder, _____). No problem! We've got two other Euros. - the Remparts.

Good Lord. If this is the plan for the rest of the season, Brandon Shea probably won't be the only one walking out on you. Just trade someone and be done with it. Signed, Everyone.

Early morning alum-sighting tomorrow: Fans of ex-Volts blessed with a Friday off can catch the McGill Redmen in action as part of the 2nd annual "Stay in School" Morning Game that will see them face off against York University at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, at McConnell Arena. Three former members of the President's Cup-winning 2009 squad, Vachon, McKiernan and Brunelle, all had a hand in the Redmen's 3-2 overtime win against Queen's last Friday.

The Forever Preseason is Finally Over

The biggest and best headline this post has to offer is the one above.
Drummondville's record: 3-3-0-1 in seven games spread out over five months. That leads to a scathingly precise .500 record. Meh!

However, in those 7 games, the power play had an efficiency of 30% and 29 goals were scored.

Points leaders:
Bryce Milson (6 goals, 4 assists)
Marc-Olivier Brouillard (3 goals, 7 assists)
Olivier Archambault (one goal, 9 assists)
Jordan Murray (2 goals, 7 assists)
Jérôme Verrier (5 goals, 2 assists)

The first regular-season game is this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in #theshawi against none other than the defending Memorial Cup Champions.  The Cataractes have had a surprisingly good preseason, going 5-3-0-0 in their eight matchups (they also scored 29 goals).
 
What of Hrabarenka?: Apparently it's still a case of the wait-and-see with the Belarussian defenseman, who will report to Albany despite the influx of people previously playing in the NHL having been assigned there this weekend. Should he return to Drummondville, Dominic Ricard gets to be the one to decide what happens next.

Sean, we hardly knew ye: Today's most duh-worthy news goes to the fact that Sean Couturier will not be returning to Drummondville. (The fact that it was even presented as a possibility is quite cruel, to be quite honest.)

Howes, what are you doing?: Former Kelly Cup MVP Scott Howes is the latest addition to the Allen Americans (Central Hockey League). Adam Pineault, Chris Doyle, and Bradley Gallant are among the other former QMJHLers on the Allen roster presented on their web site. But Howes, as a result of that stellar 2010-11 season that saw him become playoff MVP, saw some time in the AHL (!) last season under former coach Brent Thompson, scoring eleven goals and as many assists for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Being that the AHL is currently more than full, heading back to Bridgeport might not have been a feasible plan. But what's wrong with Alaska? :( /rings cowbell in a corner

Zohorna and Svoboda on the same roster again! Sort of: Speaking of influxes of NHLers, the Czech ones are of a particular interest to yours truly (yet another occasion to use the word duh!) and in seeing where some of them were off to, a discovery was made on HC Kometa Brno's roster this morning:

Source: http://www.hc-kometa.cz/soupiska.asp

Hynek indeed appears to be the other Tomáš' little brother. While it's not 100% the reunion I was hoping for, it did bring tears to my eyes.