DRUMMONDVILLE – The goal was set at 215 pounds by the Arizona Coyotes.
This is the weight that Maveric Lamoureux was to display, at the recommendation of general manager Bill Armstrong, upon his arrival at the team’s most recent training camp.
This request had been made almost a year earlier, when the giant defender was preparing to leave the desert after having begun a long rehabilitation made necessary by a shoulder operation which deprived him of his first real sauce among the pros.
Back with the Drummondville Voltigeurs after a five-week stay in Auston Matthews’ country, the Coyotes’ first-round pick in 2022 (No. 29) had to wait until mid-December before playing a first game.
The Coyotes, as colleague Éric Leblanc described in detail last March, accompanied and supported him throughout this grueling campaign, both physically and psychologically. Nevertheless, making up for lost time in half a calendar was utopian.
“(After the operation) I had lost a lot of weight because I wasn’t eating, I was on medication. I was down to 183 pounds. At 6’7″, 183 pounds is not a good shape to have! », laughed the “Rouges” tower on Wednesday when encountered by RDS.ca at the Marcel-Dionne Center.
“It took a long time to regain all that weight after that. »
The rigors of a QMJHL season being what they are, it was this summer that Lamoureux undertook the real work to solidify his imposing frame. In the gym, first, he followed to the letter the plan established by his coach Stéphane Dubé. The primary objective? Gain strength and muscle mass.
Then he ate. “A lot,” says the 19-year-old athlete.
“The nutritionist (of the Arizona Coyotes) Carl Bombardier, whom I had known for three years having already worked with him, made me a meal plan in which I had to eat around 4,400 calories per day. It is enormous! I had to eat a lot, a lot, a lot. It was between three and four meals a day, in addition to shake that I did to myself every evening before going to bed. »
For the small comparison, know that according to Health Canada, a man aged 19 to 30 of a standard size – we can already exclude Lamoureux – must ingest approximately 3000 calories per day to meet the demands of a lifestyle considered ” active “.
“Sometimes I really wasn’t hungry anymore, but I had to force myself to eat. It really wasn’t the fun. It was mentally challenging, that’s for sure. I sometimes ended up curled up in my bed at night and my stomach hurt. I said to myself: “Ahhhhh! Why am I doing this?” And then I remembered: “You have to do it, it will pay off”. »
Taking extra bites, at the table as well as in the gym, has indeed paid off. In the middle of summer, he was at the peak of his form. The one that hockey players are used to feeling in the middle of the season, he notes.
This is how, at 216 pounds, this good piece of man put his butt in the seat of the plane transporting him to Arizona for the launch of the Coyotes’ 2023-2024 activities. Goal achieved.
“Finally, I had a full summer of training. And after that, I was able to really do a full training camp this year. The team’s development camp, rookie camp and main camp. It gave me so much experience. »
The stay lasted for a month and a half. Arriving even before the start of these camps at the invitation of the Coyotes and with the blessing of the Voltigeurs, Lamoureux trained with several players from the organization under contract, but also the region’s hockey stars, Auston Matthews and Tage Thompson.
“During the week, I practiced with the American League group, and on Friday we played a game including the NHL guys, the superstars. It was incredible. »
Lamoureux then took part in a few preparatory games, the time to see that he at least had the build to rub shoulders with imposing thirty-year-olds established in the NHL, but also to score a first goal against the Golden Knights, the eve of his retrenchment.
Goal‼️ pic.twitter.com/q9WN5Kz4Ro
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) September 30, 2023
spag and ground beef for lunch
Back in Drummondville where he patrols the blue line of a club aiming big this season, no. 13 of the “Volts” gradually finds his rhythm and his bearings, while familiarizing himself with the concepts taught by the new head coach in power , Sylvain Favreau.
“Starting at the start of the season with everyone at the same time is beneficial. It feels good. I don’t feel like I’m behind everyone,” he notes.
“It’s always better to have him on your team than to play against him,” appreciates Favreau today, who left the back of the bench for the Halifax Mooseheads during the summer after submitting his resignation. He is imposing, even intimidating. I’ve seen him grow, not just in height, but in maturity in the league as well. You see that he has more presence on the ice and that intimidates opposing players, that’s for sure. »
Maveric Lamoureux
At 214 pounds according to the latest QMJHL data, Lamoureux is impressive, it’s true. He is no longer subject to his rigorous summer eating plan, but he will undoubtedly have no difficulty maintaining his weight.
Last August, the endearing fellow spoke on the podcast microphone Without restriction hosted by Kevin Raphaël that he did not have common breakfast habits. At RDS.ca, Lamoureux confirmed that there is still nothing natural about them.
“When I was young and I ate let’s say cereal and toast, I was still hungry afterwards. I ended up asking my mother if there was anything else she could do for me. And it went like that. »
Lamoureux then started eating ground beef balls, among other things, he remembers. Grandma’s organic farm, a source of meat, fruits and vegetables, was quickly put to use.
“When we went to a tournament in the summer, my mother brought the wok and food that she had already cooked before. For lunch, I ate sausages, spag, chicken with pasta, minced meat, duck. That was my entire youth. »
And that hasn’t changed in his boarding family in Drummondville.
“I arrived there three and a half years ago with two large boxes of frozen meats which we put in a freezer downstairs. When I came up with this, they were surprised. They were wondering what was that? »
Lamoureux explained everything to them. In the morning, he cooks himself a meal. When it’s possible.
“In the morning, we had to go visit businesses and sponsors of the Voltigeurs. I had less time. So I just ate the leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. »
