Veteran Ott loving life as a Canadien after trade from Detroit
Steve Ott has yet to play a game in a bleu-blanc-rouge jersey, but is already loving life as a Canadien.
“I’m still on Cloud 9, to be honest with you,” Ott said after practice Friday in Brossard.
Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin acquired the 34-year-old veteran forward from Detroit late Tuesday night in exchange for a sixth-round pick at the 2018 NHL Draft.
The 6-foot, 193-pounder brings grit and experience and won 58 per cent of his faceoffs with the Red Wings, posting 3-3-6 totals in 42 games while averaging 10:27 of ice time.
Ott wasn’t in the lineup for Thursday night’s 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators on a goal by Paul Byron with nine seconds left in the third period.
“I got a little bit of a taste to hear that crowd roar when the big goal was scored last night,” Ott said.
“I’m enjoying just walking around and seeing the heritage in the dressing room, the whole nine yards,” the Prince Edward Island native added. “Just trying to learn my way around the facilities, let alone the players and stuff. But a very warm welcome. What a great group of guys in this dressing room. Very caring, a lot of passion.”
After practice, coach Claude Julien wouldn’t reveal what his lineup will look like when the Canadiens visit the New York Rangers Saturday night (7 p.m., CBC, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690).
It’s the first of four road games for the Canadiens, who travel to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton next week.
Ott said the road trip will be a great opportunity for him to get to know his new teammates better.
“It’s actually nice because now I get to find out how they act on the road, if they have a family, if they don’t,” said Ott, whose wife and two children are still in Detroit. “Things that I would never
know unless you’re on the inside. Just making the group a little bit tighter every single day and just feeling a part of it.”
Ott played with Tomas Plekanec on the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs during the 2004-05 NHL lockout season and has also played with Jordie Benn on the Dallas Stars and Brian Flynn on the Buffalo Sabres. The Canadiens are Ott’s fifth NHL team after being selected by the Stars in the first round (25th overall) of the 2000 NHL Draft.
During his rookie season, Ott had Kirk Muller as a teammate
in Dallas and later Muller was Ott’s assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues. Muller is now the Canadiens’ associate head coach and played a role in convincing Bergevin to acquire Ott. “It means a lot,” Ott said. “We have a nice bond from our playing days, my first year in the league, to him coaching me in St. Louis and now to here. Kirky’s such a great man. I think everybody knows that in this whole organization and this city.”