This won’t be the garden party planned by Alexis Lafreniere when the Saint-Eustache boy contemplated his NHL debut once the ping-pong ball came out with the Rangers logo in the second week of August.
Your people will not be in the building. Her sister will not be in the building. Neither will the 19-year-old’s extended family members and friends. In addition, those closest to and loved by Lafreniere will not even be able to gather to watch television from a centralized location in their home province.
The current restrictions on COVID-19 are so tight in Quebec. There is a curfew from 8 pm to 5 am Meetings inside are strictly limited.
“They all need to be apart, for sure,” Lafreniere said after the final preparation of the ice club for Thursday’s opening against the Islanders. “I’m sure everyone will look at it, my friends, my family, I’m sure it will be exciting for them too.
“I can’t wait for my first game.”
The absence of media at the camp, along with the absence of exhibition games, may have lowered the hype when Lafreniere sets out for his debut. In fact, as the camp evolved and K’Andre Miller played his way not only to the roster, but also to a pair of matches alongside Jacob Trouba, the 21-year-old from Wisconsin became the bright new toy. .
Still, that doesn’t diminish the focus that will be on training Lafreniere, who will become the No. 1 draft pick in the overall selection made by the Rangers to play the Rangers. The only first prize in the franchise, Andre Veilleux in 1965, did not reach the NHL.
“Obviously there are a lot of nerves, but I’m very excited and looking forward to my first NHL game,” Lafreniere said. “It’s something I’ve been dreaming of for a long time, so it’s sure to be a special moment.
“Maybe my first turn I’ll try to do one fast and then we’ll go from there.”
Lafreniere has the ticket to play in the third row with 21-year-old Filip Chytil, who has 144 regular-season NHL games at his disposal, and 23-year-old Julien Gauthier, a 17-time veteran of the major league competitions. the regular season. Babies in the woods. But they are hardly alone.
In fact, the Blueshirts will open with eight players aged 23 or under plus a half-dozen 24- or 25-year-olds. The Tarrytown training center and garden have been converted into youth centers. This is reminiscent of a couple of earlier times in the franchise’s history when a band of kids became a unit and was instrumental in the team’s rise.
In the 1970s, the group featured Ron Greschner, Ron Duguay, Don Murdoch, Dave Maloney, Don Maloney, Pat Hickey, Mike McEwen, Lucien DeBlois, Dave Farrish, John Davidson (acquired in a trade after its second season) and Nick Fotiu.
The Post’s Rangers podcast, “Up in the blue seats,” returns Thursday with its season premiere.
And then there were Ryan Callahan, Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Mats Zuccarello and Henrik Lundqvist to carry the banner through much of the 2010s.
Each of these eras culminated in a trip to the Stanley Cup final, the first in 1979 and the next in 2014. This group, augmented by artists such as Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Trouba and Ryan Strome, aims to finally to the next step.
But the first is the first. A debut at Lafreniere. Kaapo Kakko, the second general selection of 2019, in the second line, which is where he started last season with Kreider and Strome. Igor Shesterkin begins his first opening night in the NHL. A battle against the Islanders, conference finalists. In an empty sand.
“We’re going to be one of the youngest teams in the league again, but the older guys we have and the more experienced ones have been really helping the boys and I think he’s intertwining pretty well,” said Kreider, the club’s senior member at service point. “Something I’ve seen are guys who could have 18, 19 and 20 year olds last year and some first – year boys look a lot more comfortable in the ice and in the room.
“I think the group has been together long enough for there to be so much comfort with everyone. New guys are welcome and have adapted quickly. The most exciting thing is the potential that this group has and the potential that each individual has to grow day by day during the season. “
Lafreniere, who will share an apartment with Miller this season, said he made adjustments as the field evolved and as he and his teammates became familiar with each other’s trends.
“I think I improved from day one,” No. 13 said. “Guys are a lot faster and you have to make faster decisions, so you have to be prepared to play once you get the record.
“I have been working on this and I am still trying to improve it. I try to improve and improve every day ”.
Thursday is the first day of Lafreniere and the 1st day of the Rangers. The festivities in Manhattan will differ, but one or two wizards are likely to be heard in Quebec.