Drouin: 'I'm dedicating the tournament to Guy this year'

TERREBONNE -- Jonathan Drouin met the media on Tuesday in conjunction with his fifth annual golf tournament benefiting the CHUM Foundation.

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Here are a few highlights from his press conference at Le Mirage golf club:
Drouin on lessons learned from Guy Lafleur:
I'm dedicating the tournament to Guy this year. He was great to me and a real mentor. He was always calm and always took time out for people - men, women and children. He took the time to talk to them and spend time with them. What really stood out, though, was his calm demeanor with everybody.

Drouin on Lafleur's passing in April:
It's tough. It was even tougher when it happened because I spent some memorable times with him. I had good conversations with him, too. I never had the chance to see him play like my parents did, but I watched a lot of videos. The first photograph I got from my grandfather was an autographed picture of Guy Lafleur, so it was an emotional day when he died. It's a real void. I think we'll see that during dinner tonight, especially. Everybody would get up from their tables and go and talk to Guy. You saw just how important a person he really was.

Drouin on being involved with the CHUM, like Lafleur:
Seeing his work with the CHUM in recent years was big. He'd often say to me, 'I would've loved to have done more at your age.' Things are a lot easier now, though, when it comes to staging events like golf tournaments. There are a lot more things happening nowadays, but the way he told me that I was doing good things for the CHUM, for kids and the hospitals, it really warmed my heart.

Drouin on fatherhood:
Life is good. I'm in a really good place, especially with my son. I see things a little bit differently than I did before. To be able to wake up in the morning and see him makes me smile. It helps me start the day on a positive note.
Drouin on training with Canadiens prospects:
We've been skating with a lot of younger players over the last two weeks - Arber Xhekaj, Juraj Slafkovsky, Filip Mesar, and Kaiden Guhle. I also skated with Xavier Simoneau and William Trudeau all summer here. It's fun to see the young faces who really love the game. They're ready and hungry to practice. I think with the Draft we had and the youngsters in the organization, the Canadiens are heading in a very good direction.
Drouin on his impressions of his offseason:
It was a busy summer for me, especially with a baby. I used to leave the house and just go play golf, but I have a baby and a dog to care for. That changes your plans a bit. But, they're all good things. We're really enjoying life, and we love taking care of our baby.