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How the “next man up” mentality has kept the Rocket in the AHL playoff chase

The Laval Rocket have been in the American Hockey League for five seasons now and in that time they badly missed the playoffs twice. The first was in a disastrous inaugural season under Sylvain Lefebvre. The second was in the first season of Joël Bouchard’s tenure which laid the groundwork for future successes.

In the third year, the team started off poorly but put on a full-court press in the new year of 2020 to get within four points of a playoff berth before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the season entirely. That was a bitter pill to swallow for the Rocket and the coaches who were putting together some of their best efforts despite a depleted roster due to injuries and call ups.