David Desharnais might have not been very tall standing at 5-foot-7, but he dreamt big and through hard work and dedication, his dream came through.
The diminutive center played his junior hockey in the QMJHL spending four complete seasons with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. From putting up 51 points in 70 games in his rookie season, he went all the way up to 118 points in 63 games in his second-to-last campaign and 108 in 61 games in his final one. He also wore the «C » for the Chicoutimi outfit as he concluded his career.
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Safe on both sides of the puck, Desharnais only had a negative plus-minus in his rookie season, staying above zero in his next three campaigns (plus-5, 45 and 8). He wasn’t one who caused trouble either, only being assessed 127 penalty minutes across the 262 games in played at junior level.
After four successful seasons in the QMJHL, Desharnais went undrafted but he kept chasing his dream. He played in the AHL with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and in the ECHL with the Cincinnati Cyclones, before signing a free agent contract with the Montreal Canadiens prior to the 2008-09 season and worked his way up to the very top of the lineup.
For years, he skated by Max Pacioretty’s side on the Canadiens’ top line. While he wouldn’t have been used in that spot on another team, with the Habs, he was the one who could get the best out of Pacioretty and the former captain wanted to play with him.
In the end, he collected 250 points with Montreal in 435 games across eight seasons. Although the end of his time in town might have left a sour taste in his mouth as mayor Denis Coderre joined other fans in demanding he be sent down to the AHL, he’ll always be able to say that he fulfilled his dream of playing in the NHL.
Earlier today, the QMJHL announced that it was renaming its Selke Trophy the Desharnais Trophy. The award is handed out every year to the most sportsmanlike player while offering high caliber play.
It’s a well-deserved honour, not only because the numbers he put up match the definition of the award to a t, but because he won the Selke Trophy in three out of his four years in the Q.
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