Samuel Girard 'Free to Go' for Upcoming Season

Samuel Girard is back.
After suffering a broken sternum in Game 3 of the Second Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs against St. Louis, which sidelined the 24-year-old blueliner for the remainder of the Colorado Avalanche's eventual Stanley Cup Championship run, Girard is all healed up and ready to go for the upcoming campaign.

"He's been good, he looks good," Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar said. "He looks healthy, rejuvenated, quick."

Girard has been a full participant at Colorado's 2022-23 Training Camp and played in his first game action since the injury in the team's preseason contest against the Minnesota Wild on Sept. 27. And after not returning to the ice until late August as part of his rehab process, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound left shot didn't seem fazed by the game action. Girard logged 22:49 minutes - including 3:42 minutes on the power play and 1:20 on the penalty kill - blocked two shots, had one shot and finished the game with a plus-one rating.
"It feels good to be back and to be able to get on the ice and play some games," Girard said following the game. "When you miss that much time, you're not used to that as a hockey player. You skate almost every day during the summer. I had to excel my cals and wait until my sternum healed. It was hard mentally and physically, but it feels good to be back and to be back with the guys as well."
Girard explained the complexity of the injury, which he sustained on May 21 off a hit against the boards thrown by Blues' forward Ivan Barbashev. He finished the regular season with 28 points (5G, 23A) through 67 games and ranked third on the Avalanche in average ice time per game (21:39). Through seven postseason games leading up to the injury, Girard had collected three points (1G, 2A).
"It's a long recovery," Girard said. "I didn't do anything for at least two months and a half just because breathing would make my sternum move so it's hard to heal. Now, I'm free to go. I'm excited to be back on the ice and to get some games."

Despite the grueling injury and sedulous recovery, the offseason was still full of fond memories and celebration as Girard and the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in June. Shortly after being crowned champions, Girard was one of the first players on the team to spend his day with the prized trophy. He took it back to his hometown in Roberval, Quebec, which marked the first time since 1986 that the Stanley Cup returned to the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region as it did back then with Almatois native Mario Tremblay of the Montreal Canadiens.
Girard spent the day sharing the Cup with his hometown, family, his dogs Tornade and Nordi, and close friends.
He paraded the Cup through the town, where he was overwhelmed by the turnout of people that gathered on the three kilometers of Saint-Joseph Boulevard and the Place de la Marina in Roberval to support him and celebrate his accomplishment. He also took Lord Stanley over to the shores of Lake Saint-Jean.
"There were like 15,000 or 20,000 people," Girard said. "The town is like the main town and then there's some small towns around it. I wasn't expecting that many people, but it was awesome. That was a really fun day. It was fun spending the day with my family, friends and spending the day with the Cup. It was pretty cool."
Girard gave the Stanley Cup the full Quebecois experience by also eating a traditional dish from the province of Tourtiere from the Stanley Cup.
"It's a meal from back home," Girard said. "It has potatoes, some moose [meat] in it. You put ketchup on top, mix it around a bit. It's pretty good."

Since returning to Denver and hitting the ice for training camp, Girard has also gotten acquainted with a fellow Quebecois, Charles Hudon, who is from Alma which is about a 40 minute drive from where Girard grew up. Hudon inked a one-year contract for the 2022-23 season with the Avalanche in mid-July.
Hudon, who is 28, was drafted by Montreal (fifth round, 122nd overall) back in 2012 and played 125 NHL contests with them, but most recently spent time in the AHL with the Tampa Bay's affiliate the Syracuse Crunch.
And while Girard and Hudon had never met in person prior to arriving in Denver for training camp, they were familiar with one another.
"All the French guys know each other," Girard said. "He was born like 20 minutes from my hometown. He left when he was younger. He grew up in Montreal, but he was born about 30 minutes away from my hometown. We knew each other a little bit. He played for the junior team near my hometown, Chicoutimi, it's about 45 minutes [away]. But it's been cool getting to know him here."
Now, with a fresh season on the horizon and having fully recovered from his painful injury, Girard has aligned his focus with that of the team's to defend their Stanley Cup title which officially begins with Game 1 of the regular season on Oct. 12.
For Girard, he's thrilled to be back in the lineup with his teammates and is looking forward to continuing to build alongside Colorado's stellar defensive core.
"We have some good D that can move the puck and skate as well," Girard said. "It helps to get the puck out of the zone. Our group of forwards are so good too. Our job is just to get the puck to them, follow the play as well and we create some offense from there. Our D did some great stuff [last] season, but it's time to get back to work. We're all excited for what's next."