Parenteau on Montreal coach Therrien: 'We didn't see eye-to-eye'
P.A. Parenteau had a difficult time as a member of the Montreal Canadiens last season; the forward suffered a concussion which knocked him out of the lineup for nearly two months, and then he was made a healthy scratch numerous times by former coach Michel Therrien. The result? Parenteau, now in camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs, does not have the best things to say about his time in Montreal with Therrien.
"It was a rough time with Michel Therrien last year, we didn't see with the same eye," Parenteau said to SportsNet. "But I'm turning the page, and I know what I can do, I'm only 32; I'm not 36 or 37. I feel great right now, I'm in great shape, and the fact that [Toronto coach Mike Babcock] knows what I can do [helps]. I can be very useful to this hockey team and I know it."
Parenteau recorded 22 points in 56 games with the Canadiens last season, ending a streak of four consecutive seasons in which he posted 30 or more points. The forward was bought out by the Canadiens after the 2014-15 season, and he chose to sign a one-year deal with the Leafs to play for Babcock this season.
Parenteau has history with Babcock; the coach was a bench boss for the Anaheim Ducks when Parenteau made his professional debut there, and SportsNet reported that Babcock's new position with the Leafs was one of the factors for Parenteau in signing with Toronto.
Now that Parenteau said he feels more comfortable with his coach, it is up to the forward to prove he can once again claim a top-six position he once held just a few years ago.
(h/t SportsNet)
