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“That’s just fla fla”: Joël Bouchard and the burden of expectations

The community rink at Place Bell got so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

A roster full of Laval Rocket players were all hunched over and staring down at the ice while catching their breath. Along the boards in the neutral zone stood Rocket head coach Joël Bouchard, looking at a stopwatch, waiting to tell his players to climb “the mountain” again.

“In 10,” he barks.

Sure enough, in 10 seconds, a line of players rush up ice with a goaltender trailing behind.

It’s the ice hockey equivalent of suicides, or “Herbies” if you’re American.