Eyes On The Prize: A Montreal Canadiens podcast

Liam Reddox is candid about his decision to break free of the AHL-to-NHL yo-yo situation he was in, and what his organization said when he left for Sweden. Not sure what Sweden would hold for him when he made up his mind to try a new avenue, it has turned into a second home.

We touch on his time with the Edmonton Oilers, where he was able to play 100 games for a storied franchise. The discussion moves on to subjects like Växjö head coach Sam Hallam, an up-and-coming coach in Sweden; the lack of a language barrier in the locker room; Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson; and even advanced stats.

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Season two of PuckDrop Europe kicks off with former St. John’s IceCaps captain Max Friberg. Friberg speaks about his time in the Montreal Canadiens organization, coming to North America and the AHL, his California adventure and his NHL games.

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Bud Holloway offers up his thoughts about his hockey life, and takes us from Saskatchewan to Moscow and back to Skellefteå.

Obviously we speak about his time with the Canadiens and his fear of hitting Carey Price with a wayward shot, and he offers up some thoughts of two of the most talked about Canadiens prospects. "[Charles Hudon] is a fantastic player and has the drive to get back to the NHL,", while Nikita Scherbak "is still maturing. He’s got more skill than he knows what to do with."

One thing he also brings up is how difficult it must be for a partner to sit several thousand miles away and see their loved one get knocked out on live TV, something that rarely is spoken of, and of course - we speak about the save!

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From the NCAA to Europe and back, Little highlights his hockey career.

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Jonathan Sigalet has made himself a name in Sweden playing a secure all around defensive game, but also as a teacher to the young talented defenders that Sweden seems to produce every year. He speaks about Rasmus Dahlin, who he plays with in Frölunda, and some of the other prospects in the Frölunda system. 

Having grown up in British Columbia a few years ahead of the Montreal Canadiens’ goaltender, the subject of Carey Price comes up. Sigalet tells us the story about when Price was cut from the regional team; probably the last time that has happened.

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Francis speaks about growing up as a Montreal Canadiens fan, having been born in Lemoyne, a Shea Weber slapshot from the Bell Centre. Having gone undrafted, Paré speaks about a bit of disappointment, but also the chance he got from Mike Babcock and the Detroit Red Wings, and winning the Calder Cup in his last season.

Paré turned to Europe, with Finland as the first stop, landing with a team well known to Montreal fans: Saku Koivu’s former TPS Turku. When he got the chance to join Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL, he jumped at the chance to join the world’s second-best league.

He was one of the first North Americans to hoist the Gagarin Cup, along with teammates Chris Lee, Tim Brent, and Cal O'Reilly in Metallurg in 2014, claiming a fantastic Game Seven win at home in front of a rapturous crowd.

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Peter Popovic loves the city of Montreal and its hockey team the Montreal Canadiens. It is evident in the way he speaks about ‘his’ team, and how much he still cares for the Canadiens. Peter Popovic has taken the steps in to the National team as an assistant coach who focuses on the defence. He describes the old Forum and the memories from his first time when he arrived in Montreal, to a dressing room filled with characters such as Patrick Roy, Guy Carbonneau and Kirk Muller. 

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Kyle Chipchura speaks about getting drafted in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens, and the expectations and the pressure coming with being part of the most storied franchise in hockey.

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Ziga Jeglic was part of the Slovenian team and generation of Slovenian that qualified for the Olympics twice, other players in the same generation is Anze Kopitar and Rok Ticar. He speaks about growing up in Slovenia and playing hockey as well as being a journeyman in the European leagues in hockey. 

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'Le Petit Viking' Mats Näslund speaks about his career with the Montreal Canadiens and the players he has faced in NHL. We speak about the Tripple Gold Club, the finals against Calgary and his Junior World Championship experience - in Montreal. 

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