MONTREAL — It’s a big deal to play or coach hockey in Montreal and Toronto, and for first-year Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, it’s bound to be extra special because it will be his first time in those historic Original Six markets. Indeed, the Canadian native from Yorkton, Saskatchewan, has never been to the Bell Centre or Air Canada Centre — where Colorado plays the final two games of its four-game trip Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s an exciting time,” said Bednar, whose team is 1-1 on the trip after winning 4-2 at Boston on Thursday. “We have a lot of Canadians and going into Canada is a lot of fun. It’s going to be something that’s new to me because I’m a western guy. I’ve been to Calgary watching games my whole life, I’ve been to Edmonton watching games, I’ve been to Winnipeg watching games. Even Vancouver. But I’ve never gone to watch a game in Montreal or Toronto. So it’s exciting. Whenever you go into a game where you know there is a lot of buzz, that’s the funnest part of the game — competing against teams like that.”
As a youngster, Bednar played major-junior for four teams in the Western Hockey League before beginning a professional career for the ECHL’s Huntington (W.Va.) Blizzard. He remained in the Eastern or Central time zones throughout his playing and coaching career until he was hired by the Avs in August, and his only time in Canada was a 55-game playing stint for the St. John’s (Newfoundland) Maple Leafs of the American Hockey League in 1996-97.
At the time, St. John’s was the top affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. But Bednar was never called up by the big-league Leafs and he never played in the NHL. And before taking over for hall of fame goalie Patrick Roy as Colorado’s bench boss, Bednar’s coaching career was exclusively in the ECHL and AHL.
The Eastern Canadian two-game stop is also exciting for Avs center Nathan MacKinnon, who is from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and starred in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
“I love playing in Quebec. I played in the Q,” said MacKinnon, 21. “Those French fans in Quebec are awesome. Very loud and passionate. Same with Toronto. Two really great Canadian cities and really excited for those games.”
For Avs winger Jarome Iginla — assuming he plays — Saturday’s game against Montreal will be the 1,500th regular-season game of his career. The 39-year-old Iginla will become the 16th player to reach that milestone. Among active players, only Jaromir Jagr, 44, of the Florida Panthers has played more games (1,657).
COLORADO AT MONTREAL, 5 p.m. Saturday, ALT, 92.5 FM
Spotlight on: Shea Weber
The do-it-all Montreal defenseman is tied for fourth in team scoring and his eight goals were second-most among NHL blue-liners entering Friday’s games. Weber, who is in his first year with the Canadiens after last summer’s blockbuster straight-up trade with Nashville for P.K. Subban, is tied for first among NHL defensemen with a plus-16 rating. Montreal is tied to Weber’s $7.8 million cap hit for the next six seasons, through 2022-23.
NOTEBOOK:
Avalanche — Left wing and team captain Gabe Landeskog is expected to return from a 10-game injury absence. He might have returned from his lower-body injury Thursday but an illness slowed his on-ice recovery. … Matt Duchene scored his 166th career goal in Thursday’s 4-2 win at Boston, tying Valeri Kamensky for eighth-most in franchise history. Duchene is just one goal shy of tying Alex Tanguay for seventh. … Duchene’s team-leading 10 goals have each been scored on the road. … The Avs haven’t lost at Boston since 1998, going 10-0-1.
Canadiens — They had the day off Friday after producing a season-high 49 shots in a 5-2 win over the visiting New Jersey Devils on Thursday. … Centers Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais are out with long-term knee injuries. The team on Wednesday said both will miss six to eight weeks. Galchenyuk leads Montreal in goals and points. … Torrey Mitchell’s seven goals have come on just 21 shots — a 33.3 percent shooting percentage. … Colorado is Montreal’s second opponent in a four-game homestand. … The Canadiens visit the Avalanche in Denver on Feb. 7.
