From poor performances to injuries to personnel changes, the Montreal Canadiens have faced a number of issues as of late.
Sometimes, that can be chalked up to a lack of talent, depth, puck luck, or even mental strength. And in case it’s that last one, the team is hoping they’ve found their solution.
The Canadiens made a new hire in the mental performance coaching department earlier this year, as pointed out by a Thursday X post from Andrew Zadarnowski.
According to the team’s official hockey operations page on their website, Jean-Fancois Menard holds the title “mental performance coach” within the sports science and performance department.
The Canadiens have added a Mental Performance Coach. Menard received a PhD in Sports Psychology from UofO (let's go Gee-Gees!).
He was then a mental skills coach for Cirque de Soleil where hyperfocus is essential, and went on to coach Canadian Olympians and other athletes. pic.twitter.com/64SxosVaIo— Andrew Zadarnowski (@AZadarski) November 23, 2023
Menard, who held a similar role with Cirque du Soleil, received a PhD in Sports Psychology at the University of Ottawa and is a published author.
According to a biography page on the National Speakers Bureau’s website, Menard’s mission at Cirque du Soleil “was to coach circus artists the mental skills required to deal with pressure and perform at their best consistently, on demand, up to 450 times a year.”
That makes an 82-game season look like light work.
He later specialized in mental training and leadership coaching. Menard’s client list is impressive, including some of Canada’s top athletes, such as Olympic gold medalists Scott Moir, Tessa Virtue, Mikael Kingsbury, Damian Warner, and Derek Drouin, as well as Super Bowl champion Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
I am thrilled to announce that I have accepted a consulting position with the @CanadiensMTL as their Mental Performance Coach. It is a #privilege to be part of this team!#gohabsgo#trainyourbrain#hockey pic.twitter.com/GkED3AzXYu
— Jean Francois Menard (@jf_menard) January 25, 2023
Everyone knows that a large component of playing a sport at the highest level is mental. And with Menard aboard, Montreal’s players hopefully have a better chance of developing a champion’s mindset going forward.
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