A powerful message from Samuel Montembeault to those who didn't believe in him

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David St-Jean
January 7, 2024 (1:37 PM)

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The Montreal Canadiens were able to defeat the 2nd-best team in the NHL on Saturday night at the Bell Centre. The New York Rangers are a powerhouse, and it's quite an accomplishment to beat them, especially considering the team is in a rebuilding phase.

This victory is credited to Samuel Montembeault, who achieved his career-high save total in the same game. He was outstanding throughout the entire match, including overtime and shootout.

When the Canadiens claimed him off waivers in 2021, no one would have thought he would become the number one goaltender for the Habs. Yet, two years later, he has earned the trust of his teammates on the Canadiens and even on the international stage.

Here's what he had to say after the game regarding what people thought of him when he arrived in Montreal:

"Most of them were saying I was an AHL goalie at best when I first came here," Montembeault said. "When I bought my house in Trois-Rivières, people were saying that was perfect because it was going to be close for playing in the ECHL (with the Lions de Trois-Rivières)."

- Via Eric Engels, Sportsnet

Monty, a native of Bécancour, so buying a house in the Trois-Rivières area is just normal to be close to his roots. He continued to look forward, worked very hard, and now he is proving all his detractors wrong who didn't believe in him.

One can say that hard work pays off today. Without Samuel, the Canadiens would be at the bottom right now, as he ranks among the NHL's elite in several categories.