This has been a strange season for New Jersey Devils 2012 first-round pick Stefan Matteau, but this weekend might have presented his oddest moment.
Matteau left his junior hockey team Blainville-Boisbriand Armada during the QMJHL playoffs, according to RDS’ Stephane Leroux.
Nate Sager of Yahoo’s Buzzing the Net sets the scene:
New Jersey Devils first-round pick Stefan Matteau’s turbulent season, which has included being suspended by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for rough play, missing out on Team USA’s world junior championship triumph and making his NHL debut at age 18, has taken a rather volatile twist. Details are slowly being filled in, but Stéphane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) of Réseau des sports (RDS) is reporting that Matteau has quit the Armada, who are down 2-0 in to Baie-Comeau in a QMJHL semifinal series. It’s understandable that a 19-year-old could have trouble working through frustration, but he has created a spectacle.
Sager passes along reports that Matteau, 19, reacted to a third period benching on Saturday by not even riding in the team’s bus. That could make for an uncomfortable situation since his father (and former NHL player) Stéphane Matteau is one of the team’s assistant coaches.
Sounds like a mess, huh? The QMJHL team is expected to hold a press conference regarding this story at 9:30 a.m. ET, so perhaps we’ll receive some clarification regarding what has (or hasn’t) happened.
The Devils haven’t made a comment at this time. Click here for more details.