At age 35, Nate Thompson could play in some old-timers hockey tournaments. But the oldest player on the Canadiens is proving he can still keep up with the kids in today’s NHL.
Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin acquired Thompson from the Los Angeles Kings at last season’s NHL trade deadline and, shortly after the season, signed the veteran centre to a one-year deal worth US$1 million. That’s turning out to be a heckuva deal as Thompson is playing a key role on the fourth line while also being a mentor on a very young team.
Heading into Thursday’s games, the Canadiens were in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 10-5-3 record, three points behind the Boston Bruins (11-3-4).
“He’s been a big factor,” Bergevin said about Thompson when he met with the media Wednesday. “I think what he’s brought to our team — not only on the ice but off the ice — is leadership. We have our captain in (Shea Weber), our assistant captains (Brendan Gallagher) and (Paul Byron). (Thompson) doesn’t have a letter, but if you had to put another one (he) could be easily one of them. He supports our staff, our players. He’s a good voice in our locker room and I think his play so far speaks for itself.”
Heading into Friday’s game against the Capitals in Washington (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio) , Thompson has 1-5-6 totals and an even plus/minus rating while averaging 14 minutes of ice time, killing penalties and winning a team-best 54.3 per cent of his faceoffs.
With 20-year-old rookies Nick Suzuki and Ryan Poehling and 19-year-old sophomore Jesperi Kotkaniemi being groomed to be the future Big Three at centre, they couldn’t ask for a better role model than Thompson. The lessons they are learning from him can only help the young centremen in the future, long after Thompson is gone.
Kotkaniemi was two weeks shy of his third birthday when the Boston Bruins selected Thompson in the sixth round (183rd overall) at the 2003 NHL Draft. Only 28 players picked at that year’s draft have played more regular-season games than Thompson’s 715. Seventeen of those players were selected in the first round and five in the second round.
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Thompson has obviously been doing something right — actually, a lot of things — and has been able to evolve and keep up with the game. He also recently celebrated his third year of sobriety.
When asked how the NHL game has changed the most since he first entered the league at the end of the 2006-07 season, Thompson said: “It’s more of a speed and skill game than it has ever been. Even if you look at the playoffs now … you can probably look back 5-7 years and say it was maybe more physical than it is now. But I think it’s just more speed now and I think that is where the game is evolving most. You look at the rule changes and everything’s toward more offence.”
What’s the biggest change Thompson has had to make in his game?
“I’ve been working on my skills more because I think that’s just the way the game is going,” he said. “The way that really good teams are winning, four lines are contributing. The days of just dumping it in and creating energy (on the fourth line) and eating up minutes for 10 minutes are kind of over. I think everyone has to be able to contribute and you have to be able to make plays.”
Thompson says the speed of the NHL now makes it more fun, allowing players to be more creative. It also means he spent more time skating this summer than ever before, while also working on his skills and hitting the gym hard.
“Everyone’s got a guy for everything now,” Thompson said. “It’s a skating coach, a skills coach, a nutritionist, strength coach. You put all that together and you make up Connor McDavid pretty much, right?”
The only thing Thompson doesn’t like about today’s NHL is the three-on-three overtime.
“It has nothing to do with me not being in it — because I wouldn’t be in it either way, even if it was four-on-four,” he said with a chuckle. “But I think the three-on-three part of the game … it’s exciting for the fans but, as a whole, it’s tough. It creates more offence, but I’m more of a traditionalist and liked it when it was four-on-four.”
Thompson hopes this won’t be his last season in the NHL and plans to keep playing until someone tells him he can’t.
Will he play old-timers hockey after his NHL career eventually ends?
“I don’t know … it’s so hard to say now,” he said. “I love the game … I love everything about it. Who knows? Maybe I’m still involved in the game in coaching or management, whatever it may be. But that’s hard to say right now.”
Right now, Thompson is still a very effective player with the Canadiens.
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