Drouin earns Masterton nomination
Everyone loves a comeback story but Jonathan Drouin's rebirth has enough heartwarming chapters to fill a book.
It isn't an exaggeration to say the former Halifax Mooseheads superstar might've been down to his final chance in the NHL less than a year ago. He was coming off a fourth straight underwhelming season with the Montreal Canadiens - at least by the standards expected from a No. 3 overall draft pick - and there wasn't exactly a long line of suitors looking to sign him as a free agent in the off-season.
But a push by his former Mooseheads linemate and close friend Nathan Mackinnon got him a one-year opportunity with the Colorado Avalanche at a salary close to the league minimum in July.
It's now eight months later and the 29-year-old Drouin is thriving on Colorado's first line and on his way to a new career high in points, which is enough on its own to earn him a nomination for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award goes to the to 'the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.'
"To be nominated for an award like that is cool," Drouin said in a recent media session. "We have a lot of guys here who work hard and dedicate themselves to hockey, and I do as well. It's awesome."
"I've always loved the game I've played," he added. "That love of the game really came back last year and even more this year. I owe a lot of credit to the guys here, the staff, for helping me find that love and that passion again, but it also never really ever left, either."
Rediscovering his form on the ice was only half of the story because getting back to being his best self as a hockey player couldn't happen until Drouin repaired himself off the ice.
Back in 2021, Drouin had to step away from the game because of the unrelenting weight of anxiety and insomnia struggles. He took the time he needed to rebuild his mental health to the point where he could function again at a baseline level as a person and hockey player.
"Getting help was number one, but all the tools that I have now ... and having people to rely on (has helped)," he said to Denver reporter Meghan Angley. "You definitely see the upside and the positives of talking to people and getting help and not being shy about something that's so little sometimes (but) matters so much in your life – that lingers on for weeks and months and you just want to attack it and make sure you understand what you're doing."
As hard as it was at the time to seek professional help and admit to himself he was losing that battle, perhaps Drouin's most courageous step was to open up publicly about it in the often unforgiving macho hockey world.
"I guess for some people we just play hockey and in the go-go-go of it, they expect some stuff," he told Angley. "But we're human. A lot of us have kids, families and friends. I don't think five-tosix years ago it would have been OK to talk about it or even go see someone and get some help or get some (clarity) on a lot of stuff that you're really clueless about – and for me, that was my biggest thing."
Thursday night was another high point for Drouin as he scored two goals and set up another on a line with Mackinnon and Mikko Rantanen. He led all Colorado forwards in ice time, which is not an uncommon occurrence anymore, and he now has 51 points in 73 games, putting him just two points from surpassing his career high.
But it bears pointing out the success in Denver didn't happen overnight. He and the team stayed patient and supportive of each other during his adjustment period back in the fall when he only had three point in his first 15 games. So the quick math tells the tale of his season-long surge. Drouin now has 48 points in 56 games since Nov. 22, including 13 points in his past nine games.
"He's very dedicated. He brings it every day," Mackinnon said to Corey Masisak of the Denver Post. "He has a great attitude, a great work ethic. He's always trying to get better and he loves the game. He's always trying to learn and loves talking about it. It's fun to be around guys like that. He definitely deserves that recognition."
Incidentally, Mackinnon is also having a career year. The Cole Harbour native also had three points on Thursday to push his season total to 130 in 76 games. He's three points off the league scoring lead with six games remaining and is a leading candidate to win the Hart Trophy for the NHL'S most valuable player. His previous career high was 111 points, set last year.