from Dave Stubbs of NHL.com,

"I have the right mindset. I've talked to a lot of the right people. Obviously I've had the team's support. And even though I feel I could have been better for my teammates at times on and off the ice, I'm sure everybody feels that way when they have an unsuccessful season."

Training camp is four months away, and Pacioretty will use the time both to train exhaustively and relax blissfully with his family off the hockey radar. He calls himself a "man of extremes," intense at both ends of the spectrum, and if he's had his final bad luck for this summer, he will be very happy indeed, preparing for his sophomore season as Canadiens captain, and his ninth with the franchise.

"I want to slow down and enjoy the best years of my life," Pacioretty said of his career with Montreal. "I've got better at living in the moment, not worrying about tomorrow or what happened yesterday. When I'm down here in the summer, I often talk to wife and my parents and friends and think, 'How cool is it that you're captain of the Montreal Canadiens?'

"When I'm in the moment and dealing with hard times, you forget about how cool and how much of an honor it is. I'll always understand the history of being a Montreal Canadien and a captain. But when you're away from it, living down here, living in the moment, it's really nice to sit back, relax and enjoy what this opportunity has given me."

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