Waiting for the big day

MONTREAL - Truth is, as Marie-Pierre Danault would say herself, this is their second child, but it's their first human baby.

Yes, their dog Twenty-One has been in their lives for two years now; in fact, the golden doodle has already been taking good care of his mother and baby brother to be.
"In the evenings, he likes to bring his toys in the baby's room and sleep on the carpet," explained Marie-Pierre. "He's really protective of me."

Phillip admitted that Twenty-One even gets special privileges when he's on the road with the team.
"When I'm away, he always lies down on Marie's stomach and falls asleep there," mentioned the Habs' centerman. "But he sleeps in his bed when I'm home."
The couple, who met living in the same duplex in Victoriaville more than six years ago, believe that Twenty-One knows exactly what's going on.
"I think he must know, just by seeing her belly at eight months. He can't be thinking that she's eating too much," cracked Phillip.
The newlyweds have two names in mind for their little boy, but prefer to keep it to themselves for the time being. Marie-Pierre did, however, offer up an explanation for Twenty-One's name.
"When Phillip was in Junior, he wore No. 21. We were also married on the 21st," she explained. "We would love for our son to be born on February 21."

The big announcement
The two lovebirds came up with a unique way of sharing the news with their parents. First,
First off, they gave Phillip's dad a carafe with little blue booties inside.
The story of how they told Marie-Pierre's parents is a little funnier, however.
"To tell my in-laws, my wife and I did rock-paper-scissors one time at lunch," recounted No. 24 with a laugh. "I unfortunately lost and I didn't really know how to do it so I just said, 'Ok, so, Marie is pregnant.'"
The reaction Marie-Pierre's parents had was just as good.
"My mother looked at us and said, 'Seriously?'" recalled Marie-Pierre. "It was so direct and out of context, but it was funny."

Parenting styles?
The couple, who got married on July 21, also wanted to play the game of predicting what kind of parents they'll be.
"We all like to say we're not going to be the strict dad, but I think I will be one," explained Phillip. "In fact, Marie is going to be such a strict mom that I don't think I can also be strict because it'll be too much."
For her part, Marie-Pierre had her own opinions on the matter.
"He says he won't be a strict dad, but I'm sure he will," she predicted with a laugh. "Phillip has to say in my case that I'm going to be a strict mom to the extreme, but I'm going to try not to be too much of one and will give him some slack."

Regardless of how tough he'll be, Marie-Pierre believes her husband would make an excellent dad who will probably end up missing his son sometimes due to the rigors of his profession.
"He's going to be an incredible dad. I'm sure he's going to miss him. I looked at the schedule and I'm sure it's going to be hard for him, because the weeks after I deliver he might be on the road," outlined Marie-Pierre. "They change so quickly at the beginning, that's why I think he'll find it hard."

While they're waiting for the little man to arrive, Marie-Pierre has been hear advice from the other players' wives.
"They understand our reality of having a baby during the season and of having a baby with a hockey player in general," she shared. "It's reassuring."
One thing is for sure. This little boy will come into this world with wonderful, attentive parents waiting for him. He'll be able to count on the Canadiens family, too.
Photo credit: @mariphotographe