Sherbrooke Phœnix captain Samuel Poulin and Sherbrooke goaltender Alex D'Orio were struck from the final roster of 31 Pittsburgh Penguins and did not accompany the team to Toronto, the Penguins' bubble city in view of the playoffs.

The two Quebeckers will therefore not have the opportunity to closely follow the clash against the Montreal Canadiens during this qualifying round when activities resume in the National Hockey League.

Since it was allowed by the NHL to welcome a greater number of players during the training camp organized on the eve of the playoffs, Samuel Poulin and Alex D'Orio were able to return to action as "Black Aces ”from the Penguins alongside Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kristopher Letang.

“In my head, I was going to follow the team,” says Samuel Poulin. But I learned last week that the management was planning to send me home. The coaches explained their plan to me. They didn't want me to take this news negatively. They reminded me that I took this experience to learn from other players and get to know the coaches and the system better. "