Group work

MONTREAL – The majority of Michel Therrien’s troops won’t be back in town until September, but the gym at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard is still a very busy place.

Five days a week, a select group of veterans and young guns who’ve elected to spend part or all of their summers in Montreal, gather on the South Shore for a group workout designed to gradually prepare their bodies for the rigors of an 82-game NHL season.

The group, led by Canadiens strength and conditioning coach Pierre Allard, consists of veterans Torrey Mitchell, Paul Byron, and Alexei Emelin, along with prospects Simon Bourque and Nikita Scherbak. For his part, Tomas Plekanec was a regular participant before recently heading home to the Czech Republic where he’ll continue working out ahead of the World Cup of Hockey which begins in mid-September.

“We’re got a really good group of guys. Having veterans like Pleky, Mitchell, Byron and Emmy is really good for the young kids like Bourque and Scherbak. They get a chance to see just how hard the veterans are working. Take Pleky, at 33 he’s still one of the hardest workers around and he wants to get even better. The goal is to mix older and younger players. It’s an important experience for the prospects,” said Allard, who is currently putting his charges through circuit training involving plyometrics, powerlifting and additional explosion-related exercises.

In Bourque and Scherbak’s cases, it marks the second straight summer the pair has elected to train on the South Shore in the company of their more experienced counterparts. They’re essentially building off lessons learned at development camp together.

“For me, training here is huge. As a young kind, coming in and working out with guys like Pleky is just a privilege. He’s a good role model for anyone. I’m always learning something new,” said Bourque, who made his pro debut with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps last season following another strong QMJHL campaign with Rimouski. “As a …

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