Canadiens' Nick Suzuki was encouraged to learn French by current NHL superstar
Being captain of the Montreal Canadiens is a huge honour and it comes with a lot of responsibility. Given that at least half of the fan base speaks French, it makes sense that the captain should be able to converse with the media in that language, or at least some think so.
While at the NHL All-Star Weekend in Vegas in February, many months before being named captain, Suzuki spoke to Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who encouraged him to learn French.
Suzuki added, "It's definitely good coming from him. I think he was kind of thrown in the fire and had to learn French to speak with his teammates and buddies. I think it's something that will take time for me, for sure, but I have a good background in it so I don't think it will take me as long as someone just learning French for the first time."
The Penguins captain said that he learned French while playing with Rimouski in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and mentioned to Suzuki that he should learn it as well. Suzuki, who was named the 31st captain in franchise history in September, told reporters then that he studied French in school in Ontario and was taking lessons on Babble over the summer.
On the ice, it's been a great start for Suzuki, who's taken his game to the next level this season. In 18 games, the London (Ontario) native has 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists), four penalty minutes and is a plus-four. Given the weight on his shoulders being captain of the most historic franchise in the NHL, the pressure hasn't gotten to Suzuki and frankly, he's been thriving off it.
Source: The Athletic
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mikko Rantanen | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jake Debrusk | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Valeri Nichushkin | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jonathan Drouin | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Roman Josi | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Kirill Marchenko | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Samuel Girard | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Claude Giroux | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Oliver Kylington | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Anton Lundell | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jonathan Marchessault | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Patrick Maroon | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brock Nelson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||