Canadiens fall flat in 4-1 loss to ’Canes
Her commitment gave Habs goalie the drive to be the player, and father, he wanted to be
Al Montoya’s No. 1 fan has always been his mother.
“She always watches … rain or shine, she says I did great,” the Canadiens’ backup goaltender said with a smile after practice Wednesday in Brossard.
Montoya’s mother, Dr. Irene Silva, was watching Tuesday night from Chicago when Montoya stopped 34 of 36 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings at the Bell Centre. Montoya did great — not only in his mother’s eyes — but unfortunately his teammates could only score one goal for him.
Montoya has done a solid job as Carey Price’s backup this season, posting an 8-6-4 record with a 2.67 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. Montoya’s stats would be much better if former coach Michel Therrien didn’t leave him in net for all 10 goals in a 10-0 road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 4, during which the goalie faced 40 shots. Montoya’s mother must have wanted to cover her eyes during that game.
As the first Cuban-American to play in the NHL, Montoya’s family history is different from other hockey players. His mother was only 10 when her family decided to flee Cuba and head to the United States.
“My family was well off in Cuba,” Montoya said. “The revolution came and my grandfather was like: ‘We’re getting out of here … we’re leaving everything behind.’ That was the choice, but it wasn’t really a choice. For her, she was so young, she thought it was like a boat ride to her. They came over on a cargo boat … she just knew they were going to the United States. As a kid, you don’t know much.
“In the meantime, my grandfather’s going from being a land owner (in Cuba) to selling strawberries on the side of the road, (living) in some kind of camp in Miami. That’s a lot.
“I’m a first-generation CubanAmerican,” added Montoya, who was born in Chicago and grew up in Glenview, Ill. “You don’t really hear that a lot. A lot of these (Cuban) people have been here for a while, so it’s something that’s special to me. Where my grandparents came from … they passed away a few years ago, but for me it was always a sense of pride the way that my grandparents carried themselves. The traditions that we had during the holidays … whatever it might be. Every time you go home, it’s that sense of Cuban heritage every time.”
Montoya’s mother made the most of the new opportunity her family provided by moving to the U.S. She became a successful physician, working in internal medicine, and still operates her own clinic in Chicago. Montoya’s father, who was a heart surgeon in Chicago, and mother split up when he was only 2. With his father out of the family picture, Montoya’s mother was left to raise four sons by herself. Montoya, 32, has twin brothers — Marcos and Carlos — who are a year younger, and David is four years older. His brothers are planning to visit Montoya this weekend in Montreal.
“She’s my drive, I guess,” Montoya said about his mother. “It started at a young age for me, just seeing the commitment and the sacrifices she made as a single mother raising four boys. Growing up in a great neighbourhood, which she sacrificed for. She drove an hour into the city every single day just to work. It’s stuff like that that I think gave me the hunger and the drive and the dedication to be the player that I wanted to be and the father and the husband as well.”
When asked if he had a favourite mother/son moment, Montoya had to think for a while, saying: “There’s so many.”
Then the goaltender mentioned the 2004 NHL Draft in Carolina, when he was selected sixth overall by the New York Rangers.
“I thought I was going to go pretty high … everyone’s there, my mom’s there with me,” recalled Montoya, who was playing for the University of Michigan at the time. “That moment they call your name and you all stand up … I still remember she was wearing some bright outfit, and it’s just who she was and she was so proud of me and I was so proud of the moment. That was one of the cooler things.”
Montoya’s mother taught him a lot of things while growing up, including how to be a good parent. No matter how busy his mother was, Montoya said she tried to attend every one of his games, even if it meant showing up a few minutes late after work.
Montoya and his wife, Annie, now have two children of their own: daughter Camila, 4, and son Henry, 2.
The best parenting lesson Montoya’s mother ever taught him?
“Love,” he said. “Rain or shine … for us, it’s show your kids love every single day.”