The Protector

Everyone knows there are certain animals you don’t mess with, a rooster would definitely be on that list. So, what makes a rooster so special? Well to begin with roosters are protectors. They don’t scout for food, they have an eye out for predators alerting the flock to danger. A matter of fact they even push hens to safety and aggressively defending against attackers from the air or ground. A rooster may even give its life in defense of the flock.

Clearly a rooster isn’t something you take lightly. They’re courageous and brave to a fault. They’re just enough crazy to shutdown things down if things get sketchy and ultra focused and driven at the task at hand.

It’s ironic that Moncton Wildcats netminder Mathis Rousseau’s nickname is “Rooster.” Obviously, nicknames are notorious in the game of hockey and often not the most creative or original by nature. The hockey world loves nicknames, but Mathis Rousseau’s nickname fits his role perfectly as a netminder.

Rousseau’s path to and within the QMJHL has been nothing but stellar, he’s been the protector of the “flock” so to speak from the moment he took to the ice at 16 years old. Mathis Rousseau has seen and experienced everything there is to see when it comes to the blue paint. He has never backed down and has proven his skeptics or critics wrong throughout his journey in the game.

You don’t have to watch him too long to determine his competitive spirit. Mathis Rousseau’s experience means something and is exactly why the Wildcats brass wanted him to be a part of their group heading towards their championship run.

“The Rooster” came up massive for the Cats during the playoffs and especially in Game 6. Rousseau made some spectacular saves early on in the game when the Oceanic were really pressing and trying to gain the upper hand.

Rousseau’s arrival to Hub City, was less than brilliant due in large part to the reaction to the fans on social media. A trade between Halifax and Moncton had been rumoured for quite sometime, but as time went on and with subsequent play of Jacob Steinman those rumours subsided,  so when the trade did happen late in the trade period it caught everyone off guard and sent the Cats loyal fanbase into a social media tirade and frenzy. The trade divided the fanbase and something like that can definitely be felt by the player in question.

There has been so much bad blood over the years between the Mooseheads and Wildcats and that’s something that fans don’t easily forget.

Rousseau’s early play with the Wildcats didn’t help his cause with the fanbase. The veteran netminder didn’t play that poorly at all, but like in a lot of things critics and fans have no idea or even remotely understand the complexities of the position, they just see Wins and Losses. In a lot of cases they were so taken a back by the trade and their passion for Steinman that they underestimated and undervalued the impact Rousseau could have on the organization. Coupled with all those mixed emotions Rudy Guimond was standing on his head and was in the midst of going on epic recording breaking streak of his own.

Mathis Rousseau had to rediscover his form in the midst of trying to adjust to the unknown and unfamiliarity of a new team and organization. That’s never easy particularly for a goaltender.

Rousseau deserves so much credit for battling through all the adversity he has faced throughout his time in the QMJHL, but especially throughout his time with the Moncton Wildcats. “The Rooster” came up big and protected the crease and the team when it mattered most.

Where are his critics and naysayers now? It’s pretty quiet on the home front especially when things are well protected!