Here’s some free advice for Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson as he heads into his first full season in the NHL: Stay off social media.
That’s easier said than done for a 20-year-old who is part of Generation Z that basically lives on their smartphones.
Veteran Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson has the same advice for Hutson.
“For some reason, people seem to be very excited about being negative on social media,” said the 30-year-old Matheson, a father of two young children who is entering his 10th NHL season. “For every one or two positive comments there’s probably 50 negative ones. Regardless of what you’re doing, it’s not a very great place to be. To wake up every day and just see negativity and still be energetic and have a positive outlook on life …
“I think regardless of what you’re doing — it doesn’t matter if you’re a hockey player or not — it can help to maybe stay away from it.”
Same thing for a sports writer?
“Yeah, exactly,” Matheson said with a smile.
Unfortunately, it’s part of my job to be on social media — but it’s not part of Hutson’s job.
There has been a lot of hype around Hutson during training camp — and rightly so — because of his unique offensive skill set as a 5-foot-10, 162-pound defenceman. He’s just so much fun to watch.
“Obviously, I know there’s excitement,” Hutson said about the fan reaction. “But I’m not too concerned about what people are saying because it’s not within our group. I really care about what the coaches are saying, what my teammates think. I’m looking to help any way I can to hopefully win some more games.”
That’s a great attitude.
Hutson can get some tips about handling the pressure of playing in Montreal’s bright hockey spotlight by talking with teammate Juraj Slafkovsky, who has handled it with a maturity way beyond his age (20) since being the No. 1 overall pick at the 2022 NHL Draft. One of the reasons the Canadiens took Slafkovsky with the first pick is that they believed he had the mentality and maturity to handle the pressure.
Hutson seems to have those same qualities.
“I can say what you guys describe as his lowest, they’re never as low as you think they are,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis told the media this week when asked about Slafkovsky’s development. “And you guys can write as high as it is, it’s never as high as you think it is.
“I’m not going to come to Slaf and say, ‘This is the lowest I’ve seen you,’” St. Louis added. “‘Slaf, is this the lowest you’ve been?’ Your mind listens to the thoughts that you have, OK. It does. So you have to be careful and that’s why I tell our players don’t read the paper. Don’t go on social media. Because your mind will listen to your thoughts and your thoughts become your actions. So that’s my take on that.”
One of the big adjustments Hutson will have this season is going through an 82-game NHL schedule after playing only 77 games over the past two seasons at Boston University in a much shorter NCAA season. Hutson posted 30-67-97 totals during that span after the Canadiens selected him in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Canadiens centre Jake Evans had to make the same adjustment after never playing more than 41 games during his four seasons at the University of Notre Dame. Evans was able to adjust to a longer schedule by playing two seasons with the AHL’s Laval Rocket before joining the Canadiens. Hutson is making the jump directly from the NCAA to the NHL.
“When you’re in the American league, some of those cities aren’t the most fun to visit,” Evans said. “It gets dark sometimes and it is tiring. For Lane, he’ll probably see some of his friends soon working 9-to-5 jobs and we’re playing the sport we love. So that’s one way to look at it.”
Evans added that keeping a positive attitude during the gruelling NHL season is a key.
“With travel and all these games and practices it does get a little tiring,” Evans said. “But there’s nothing better in the world than playing a sport you love for a job. So I’m sure he’ll enjoy it. It’s a big adjustment playing about 50 more games and a lot of travel. So enjoy it. You got all the time in the world to treat your body well and it’s a fun job.”
Evans also suggests Hutson stay off social media and not pay attention to what the media is saying or writing.
“It’s a really fun city to play in and it’s very passionate fans,” Evans said. “Sometimes you can get caught up if you’re in a bit of a slump and reading about yourself and thinking the fans aren’t with you. They’re always with you. Just enjoy it.”