Conference Call: Nick Suzuki

MONTREAL - Forward Nick Suzuki took some time on Tuesday to chat with reporters.

Question from Richard Labbe, La Presse

I was wondering, what are you doing as far as training on your own right now, and would you be in for some sort of like summer tournament that's being talked about? What are your thoughts on that?

I've just been training a bit at home: treadmill, running outside. I've got a few dumbbells and medicine balls, all that kind of stuff. It's been a lot of bodyweight stuff, since I don't have a weight rack or anything. I've just been trying to do everything I can to stay in shape.

As for the summer play, I'd definitely be into that. I think everyone wants to continue playing and continue the season somehow. Whatever way the NHL comes up with, I think a lot of players would be into that.

Question from Eric Engels, Rogers Sportsnet

Now that you've had a bit of a chance to step away from the game for over a month now, how do you put this whole season in perspective in terms of your personal development?

I thought I developed a ton, especially on the defensive side. I knew that was going to be an area I had to work on. I tried to do that each day in practice. Getting to go up against a lot of talented players - especially going up against Phil [Danault]'s line down low in the defensive zone: they're so good at holding the puck in possession. Just going up against them on the defensive side was huge for me. Just learning how all these talented NHLers think and play and translating that into the games was huge. I thought I did a great job of learning each day and getting better as the season went on.

Question from Douglas Gelevan, CBC Montreal

I imagine over the last couple of years, between Junior and getting ready for the NHL, you haven't had a whole lot of time to spend at home with your family. Can you tell me what it's meant to you to have this opportunity to be at home? Is your brother there as well? How are things at home?

It's been good; we've been spending a lot of time together. My brother and I have been away from home, especially over the last three years when he entered the OHL, so we didn't get to spend a lot of time together as a family. It's been really nice to be home and be with them. I didn't get to see my brother a lot, so it's been nice to hang out with him, work out together, play video games, and all that stuff. It's just fun to be around them. It's just natural. It's been just a great opportunity to hang out with everyone.

Question from Arpon Basu, The Athletic

A lot of players who are new to the team talk about how the history hits them in different ways. How did that sort of environment around the team, or just everything you see about the past… how did that affect you when you first started playing with them?

It's obviously really cool. I get to see all the Hall of Famers and the names in the dressing room. Just to be a part of that history… I think Patrick Roy is right above my stall at the Bell Centre, and I look up to see his face all the time. He was just an amazing player for the organization. And all the big names... I got to meet the captains at the [Captains' Reunion]; that was really cool. Just to see all the amazing players that have been through the organization, you want to be a part of that; you want to be part of that winning history and culture. I think it's been a great spot. I definitely wouldn't want to start my NHL career in a different place.

Question from Dave Stubbs, NHL.com

Whom did you lean on the most during your rookie season? Was there one guy who you might have gone to for a bit of advice or were there just things you would absorb by watching people and observing?

I can't put one guy; there are so many. Like you said, just watching and absorbing, I did a lot of that and we had a lot of great guys I could look up to. To name a couple: Nate Thompson was huge for me, he's a great guy to start off playing with in my first year. I got to learn a bunch from him, and Phil Danault is another. I guess they were two centers I was looking up to for help and wisdom, and just learning off of them faceoff-wise and in the defensive zone. Both of them have sneaky offensive ability, so things like that, I was trying to learn from them. And obviously Shea [Weber] and Carey [Price], just how they handle themselves. They're such true pros and guys I looked up to and watched a lot growing up and idolized. Getting the chance to play with them is really special, and just to see what they're like off the ice. It's great to be around them; they're great guys to hang out with and learn off of every day.

Drafted by the youngest team in the National Hockey League, traded to the most storied and the oldest team in the NHL. What was your knowledge of the Montreal Canadiens when you were traded here with Tomas Tatar?

I've always known about the franchise, especially growing up in Ontario. It's just a true honor to be a part of it. Like I said before, I wouldn't have changed my path to NHL in any way, and getting to start my first ever game with the Habs is such an honor. I just want to be a part of this organization and help them win, and I think we have the team and the future to do that.

Question from Louis-André Larivière, TVA Sports

There are a lot of OHL players who could be picked in the top 10 of the upcoming Draft. With the current odds of selection, one of those prospects could be a teammate of yours soon enough. Do any one of those guys in particular stand out for Nick Suzuki?

I think all of them stand out; they're all great players. I got to play against them in their first years and the OHL. I like [Quinton] Byfield, [Marco] Rossi, [Cole] Perfetti, [Jamie] Drysdale. Those guys we're talking about, they're all great players, and you can see that throughout their seasons. If any of them are lucky enough to get to Montreal, I know they're going to be bringing a lot of talent. There's a bright future for all those guys. I just wish them luck.

Question from John Lu, TSN

Was it Brendan Gallagher that initiated the Instagram challenge? And how did you settle on the bird dance for TikTok when you lost that bet?

He was sending me videos of him trying to get that ping pong ball in the bottle. I was just kind of joking, but I just told him: 'If you get it in, we'll do something.' So he made it a mission upon himself to finish that off. We just kind of settled on that. There were discussions, but I didn't want to do anything too much and too hard. So I just kind of settled on that, kind of an embarrassing dance and one for losing a bet for sure.