Ex-Duck Perreault knows value of resilience

By: Ed Tait Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014

MATHIEU Perreault lived it every day last season -- the good times, the bad and all those moments in between.

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MATHIEU Perreault lived it every day last season -- the good times, the bad and all those moments in between.

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This article was published 21/10/2014 (3983 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MATHIEU Perreault lived it every day last season — the good times, the bad and all those moments in between.

If there was one thing that characterized the Anaheim Ducks, a club that just so happened to go 54-20-2, it was its ability to shake off a bad shift, a bad period, a bad game.

Call it resiliency or mental toughness, but he saw first-hand how powerful it can be for a team. And, perhaps, how much his new squad — the Winnipeg Jets — could use a healthy dose of it now.

Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press
Mathieu Perreault — Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press Mathieu Perreault

“It seems like every time we get scored on it feels like the end of the world,” said Perreault. “It shouldn’t be. We’ve got a good team here. Even though we get scored on for one or two goals we should stay positive that we can come back. That’s how you come back. If you don’t believe it, it’s never going to happen.”

In Sunday’s 4-1 loss to Calgary the Jets followed up their first period — one of their best in this young season — with one of their worst. Winnipeg led 1-0 after the opening 20 minutes but was atrocious in the middle frame, giving up three goals. Perreault is new to the Jets dressing room, but understands his experiences could be helpful in stopping these in-game regressions.

“Right now I’m just trying to see where I fit,” said Perreault. “I’ve been part of teams that had success before and have had ups and downs. Now it’s not coming down to only our captain and assistants to do the talking, it’s everybody in this room that has to step up — myself as well.”

LEFTOVERS: A couple of nuggets from Monday’s media availability. Here’s coach Paul Maurice when it was suggested the Jets don’t have a superstar on their bench they could count on to alter the outcome of a game or stop adversity from taking roots:

“That’s not where we’re at. That’s not what we need,” he said. “We don’t need one guy to change a game. It’s not like we’re rolling here and we need a guy to light up two or three tonight then say we’re fine.

“We don’t need an individual to rise above the rest. We need the whole damn group to do their jobs. And regardless of who they are, it’s a very specific job they need to do.

“And we can’t do the second job until the first guy does his.

“So looking for a saviour will do us no good.”

‘If you don’t believe it, it’s never going to happen’

— Mathieu Perreault

Said winger Blake Wheeler, when asked whether he thought the 1-4 start was more frustrating for the players or the fans:

“It’s twofold: We’re the ones on the ice and this is what we do for a living. For us, this is our life. The fans, we’re kind of an outlet for them, and when you spend hard-earned money to watch what they watched (Sunday) night it’s not a whole lot of fun. We understand that. We have a commitment to ourselves and our community to be better than we have been.

“I’ve cheered for teams that have struggled in the past so I know what it feels like. I can relate to that. My (Minnesota) Vikings are 2-5 right now, so I know what that feels like.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait