Canadiens' Brendan Gallagher, Marty St. Louis give their honest thoughts on Ivan Demidov's dazzling NHL debut

Ivan Demidov had a strong NHL debut for the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. He scored his first NHL goal and added an assist in the first period as the Canadiens took an early 2-0 lead against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Demidov’s passing and movement stood out to fans and teammates. He looked confident and calm in the game.

NHL's official X account shared a video of Demidov's goal and wrote:

"IVAN DEMIDOV'S FIRST NHL GOAL!! 😱 THIS KID IS SPECIAL!!"

After the game, forward Brendan Gallagher spoke to reporters following the 4-3 shootout loss. He praised Demidov’s skill and calmness under pressure.

"Obviously he's a special player,” Gallagher said (2:50). “Not an easy situation to come in like he is with the amount of pressure he's dealing with, but he's a special player. Seemed like whenever he had the puck, something good was going to happen. It's obviously exciting for the crowd."

Head coach Marty St. Louis also shared his thoughts on Demidov. He said the rookie handled the situation very well.

"I thought he was great. If there was one player that wasn’t worried about much and not stressed out, it was him. It's almost youth and naive—not really...," St. Louis said (27:26). "That’s why I wasn’t afraid to inject this kind of talent who hasn’t gone through what these guys have gone through all year. He just comes in and he just plays."

St. Louis said other players can learn from Demidov’s approach.

"I feel like we’ve got to try to get the guys to just trust the training and go play. But it’s a normal feeling for them. You can’t practice that. You’ve got to live it," St. Louis said.

Demidov’s assist came after a nice zone entry and pass to Alex Newhook. Newhook scored the Canadiens’ first goal of the game. Later, Demidov scored his first NHL goal on a rebound. He used a quick forehand-backhand move in front of the net.

Ivan Demidov talked about the support from fans

Before the game, Ivan Demidov took a solo rookie lap. Fans at the Bell Centre gave him a big ovation. Speaking to the media after the game, he appreciated the support from fans.

"It’s crazy," Demidov said, via NHL.com. "I feel that the fans love me and it’s cool. Yeah, it’s amazing."

Ivan Demidov joined the Canadiens after a strong season in the KHL. He led SKA Saint Petersburg with 49 points in 65 games. His early release from SKA made his NHL debut possible.