CANADIENS HEAD TO ONTARIO FOR PRE-SEASON BONDING EXERCISE

The pre-season games are over and now the Montreal Canadiens will get down to the business of getting to know each other.


The Canadiens will spend Monday through Wednesday at Teen Ranch, a Christian country retreat in Caledon, Ont., north of Toronto. They will escape the city, work on their game and do some team bonding.

New coach Jacques Martin is also in the process of changing the system the team plays to more of a puck-control game. Although he has done the same with previous clubs he's coached, it may be particularly useful for this team, which jettisoned 11 players from last year's squad and has seven new ones on the roster.

"Team-building is something I've done with every team I've coached," said Martin. "It lets players get to know each other and set down goals for the year."

There's a rink at the ranch where the team will practise in the morning and do off-ice training. The afternoons and evenings are for team activities, some of them for fun and others for instruction in a classroom.

"The classroom is to determine objectives for the season and have player participation, to develop accountability and leadership," Martin added. "It will be an interesting couple of days."
Full Story