"I will be better from this. We all will be better from this," he said quietly, the media scrum having moved on. "Sometimes, humility is a very good thing, whether it's what people are saying about you or your numbers or the way you've performed or questions you even get asked.
"In the moment, obviously, it's frustrating. I just got asked whether I'm sick or injured -- you know what they're going to write about when you get asked that question. I'm used to it now. But at the end of the day, you go home in the summer, enjoy your family and start from scratch. You're just that much tougher and you're ready for many more obstacles when the next season comes."
Last summer was months of rehab for Pacioretty, who sustained an off-ice knee injury in July.
"I don't want to make excuses," he said, shrugging off a suggestion a missed training camp might be haunting him now. "I'm being asked the question and I have thought about that very, very often. It's really hard for me to stand up here and talk about excuses, but at the same time, I know what I'm capable of. I just have to worry about what I have right now and do the best I can in the moment."
After hosting the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, the Canadiens play at the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers, then end the season with home-road-home games against Florida, the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay.
"I'm just trying to work hard," Pacioretty said. "There are areas that I feel I have to work on before this season ends. Playing with [Galchenyuk], there are definitely areas that we as a duo and as a line really have to get better at.
"That's really my motivation and the direction that my mind is headed. With six games left, everybody has something to motivate them to the end, to keep them honest, to make sure they play their best. That's what I'm looking forward to."
It's likely Pacioretty awoke Sunday morning with Goofy still grinning on his hand.
"A little brunch and some church," he said of his family's Easter plans. "We painted some eggs [Saturday] and I got my tattoo.
"Those are the times," he added with a deep sigh, "that you're really happy to have a family."