Ducharme on Romanov: 'We love his future'

BROSSARD - The Canadiens practiced at the Bell Sports Complex on Thursday morning.

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Following the on-ice session, defensemen Joel Edmundson and Alexander Romanov spoke with reporters via Zoom.
They were followed by interim head coach Dominique Ducharme.
Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:
Edmundson on the Canadiens overcoming obstacles to reach the Stanley Cup Semifinals:
I think adversity is good sometimes. You've just got to use it in a positive way. When you go through tough times, it just makes the whole team stronger. Dom always says that we're shining our shoes and getting ready for the dance, and now that we're here, our shoes are shined, so we're ready to play.

Edmundson on the Habs' playoff run helping to keep his father, Bob, in good spirits while he's battling lung cancer:
It's been good. I actually got to see my mom and dad in Winnipeg for a brief hour visit. Just to see them in person, it was awesome. It lifted my spirits, it lifted his, and whenever I get the chance to see them, it's awesome. They're tuned in to every game. They've got the whole city buzzing around the Habs right now. They just got their second dose, so hopefully they can come out here soon.
Romanov on watching games from afar while awaiting his NHL playoff debut, which finally came in Game 4 against the Jets:
It was so difficult. When the guys stepped on the ice and the rink was full of fans, oh my God, I had tears in my eyes. When I saw the fans in the rink, I said: "Just look at this."

Romanov on suiting up for the series-clincher versus Winnipeg:
That was amazing. It was unbelievable. It was my first playoff game. Thank you to my coaches and my teammates for supporting me that night and just trusting me.

Ducharme on Romanov's first playoff appearance:
We're happy with the way he played. He's a guy with a lot of energy. We don't want him to lose that. It's always better to have too much than being forced to push a player. He's active. Sometimes, he just needs to take the time to focus on certain things in order to progress. He's a young player who experienced a lot this year. He's a defenseman who played on big ice his whole life. It's probably the biggest adjustment he had to make. He has less time to make a play and read situations. There are different ways to do that just because of the size of the rink. He faced many challenges for a player his age, including the pandemic, the new lifestyle and the condensed schedule. We're happy with his progress. We love his future. He's be with us for a long time and he has a great career ahead of him. We need to continue working with him every day.

Ducharme on staying in touch with Jonathan Drouin:
We're thinking about him. He's one of us. We're a united group and we want everyone to be well. We're definitely thinking about him. Every time we win an important game, he's happy for us and he sends us a message. He's happy to see the way we're playing right now.