Phillip Danault is thrilled to get another unexpected chance to win a Stanley Cup with the Canadiens.
Danault was with the Canadiens when they advanced to the Stanley Cup final in 2021 before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
A contract dispute with former general manager Marc Bergevin resulted in Danault leaving the Canadiens on bad terms that summer, signing a six-year, US$33-million contract with the Los Angeles Kings as a free agent.
After playing four-and-a-half seasons in Los Angeles, new Canadiens GM Kent Hughes brought Danault back to Montreal in December in exchange for a second-round pick at this year’s NHL Draft.
“I always wanted to come back at some point, but never knew when or how,” Canadiens centre Phillip Danault says of his return to Montreal after playing four-and-a-half seasons with the Los Angeles Kings. Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette
“We hope he’s going to bring experience,” Hughes said after acquiring the 33-year-old centre, who had 0-5-5 totals in 30 games with the Kings this season. “He’s been here before. I think people in this market know what he is as a hockey player. We don’t think the season he’s having right now is indicative necessarily of the quality of player that he is, and we’re hopeful that back here in Montreal, he’s re-energized and regains the form he had here in Montreal and in L.A. before that.”
Danault was strong in the playoffs last season with the Kings, posting 2-6-8 totals in a six-game loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round.
Heading into the final regular-season game Tuesday in Philadelphia against the Flyers (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS), Danault has 6-6-12 totals in 45 games since being traded from Los Angeles. The Canadiens have a 29-11-5 record with Danault in the lineup. He has brought some much-needed experience and defensive responsibility while winning 56.2 per cent of his faceoffs.
The Canadiens will face the Lightning in the first round of the playoffs with home-ice advantage still to be decided. The teams are tied with 106 points heading into their final games with Tampa holding the tie-breaker. The Lightning, who beat the Red Wings 4-3 in overtime Monday night, plays its final game Wednesday at home against the New York Rangers.
Danault is looking forward to sharing this year’s playoff experience with his wife, Marie-Pierre Fortin, whom he met while playing junior for his hometown Victoriaville Tigres, and their two children — Phillip-Édouard, 7, and Adélia-Rose, 4.
“I always wanted to come back at some point, but never knew when or how,” Danault said. “Especially with this team, (which is) young, skilled, very mature for a young team as well. It’s an honour to be here and very proud to make the playoffs again with Montreal and see the real crowd this time.”
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When the Canadiens played the Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup final, only 3,500 fans were allowed for games at the Bell Centre because of provincial COVID regulations.
The Canadiens finished the 2021 COVID-shortened season with a 24-21-11 record — which ranked 18th in the overall NHL standings — but still qualified for the playoffs by finishing fourth in the newly created North Division, made up of the seven Canadian teams.
“It’s so different now,” Danault said about the Canadiens, who have a 48-23-10 record and ranked fifth in the overall NHL standings after beating the Islanders 4-1 Sunday in New York. “In 2021, it was COVID, so it was different rules … we weren’t supposed to make the playoffs. But we were built strong defensively, and now we’re an offensive team.
“We can play hard, too,” Danault added. “We definitely showed that against Tampa (beating the Lightning 2-1 last Thursday at the Bell Centre in a very physical game). But it’s definitely a different team and different approach now. It’s more up-to-date hockey now than it was back then.”
What makes Danault confident heading into this year’s playoffs?
“We’re never beaten,” he said. “Our offence, our PK’s been good. Our goalie’s been good. So you just got to keep going the same way. You want your goalie to be the first star, and then everyone buys into this structure-wise as well. That’s very important.”
Danault’s best memory from that 2021 playoff run was eliminating the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup semifinals with a 3-2 overtime win at the Bell Centre on St-Jean-Baptiste Day. Danault assisted on Artturi Lehkonen’s goal 1:39 into OT of Game 6, setting off a wild street party outside the Bell Centre.
“That win was just something, not normal, and probably will never happen again on June 24,” Danault said about the major provincial holiday for Quebecers and especially francophones. “So it was just special.”
It was a night Canadiens fans — English and French — will never forget.
Fans will also remember Danault celebrating wins during that 2021 playoff run by eating pizza during post-game Zoom interviews and sharing slices with his teammates.
Restaurant Normandin made a smart move recently by signing Danault as a brand ambassador and making a video ad of him eating their pizza while doing a mock post-game news conference.
Danault said he started the pizza tradition after a 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series in 2021.
“After games, normally I have no filter,” he said. “I just said: ‘Give me the pizza … I need something in my body.’ I just started eating it in front (of the cameras) and it just became a theme and something special.”
Danault is hoping this year will provide another special playoff run for the Canadiens, their fans and his family.