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With Team Canada having wrapped up the World Cup of Hockey, Marc Bergevin and the rest of his cohorts can fully re-engage in their NHL duties.

The Montreal Canadiens general manager, who was one of four assistant GMs for Team Canada, feels he came away from this experience better off.

“This process started a long time ago, when I got the first phone call from Tom Renney from Hockey Canada, and then Dougie Armstrong is the lead general manager,” noted Bergevin ahead of Sportsnet’s Game 2 broadcast. “We’ve watched a lot of hockey. We scout around the league, so I was on my own a lot.

“Since I joined the group September 4, it’s been very fun for me. I got to know Dougie Armstrong better. Kenny Holland, which – I didn’t really know Kenny, but he’s a good guy. He’s a guy that’s fun to be around. Rob Blake – one of the best, obviously winning all of those Cups and Hockey Canada. And Bob Murray.

“So for me, it’s a great experience being around great coaches: Mike Babcock, Joel Quenneville, Claude Julien, to name a few. Trotz.

“I think for my knowledge of hockey – today I feel I’m a better general manager than I was six months ago.”

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Elliotte Friedman, who was part of the panel speaking with Bergevin at the time, followed up and asked if there was anything specifically that Bergevin saw this group do where he’d say, ‘That’s what I’m going to do in Montreal. We’re going to take that with us.’

“Not really,” said Bergevin. “I have my plan, which I’m not going to falter from it. At the end of the day, the best players win. But coaching is very important. I believe we have a very good coach in Montreal in Michel Therrien, and last year was a bump in the road.

“But hopefully this year, with the changes we made and with Carey back, we’ll be back on track.”

Source: Sportsnet/ Transcript: Nichols

Bergevin: I feel I’m a better GM than I was six months ago