Lou Gehrig.

Tom Brady.

Guillaume Latendresse?

If the connection seems a little obscure, don't feel bad. It isn't all that clear to the 19-year-old rookie from a small town in Quebec who is getting an unexpected opportunity and making the most of it.

Just like those other guys. Gehrig and Brady had their careers take off after being pressed into service because of injuries to teammates, and they took full advantage of the circumstance. Both staked a claim to the jobs and went on to become major stars.

Obviously Latendresse hasn't reached their lofty heights yet. But in the two weeks since being elevated to the Montreal Canadiens top line next to captain Saku Koivu and Michael Ryder, Latendresse has erupted into a potent offensive force. The linebacker-sized left winger has four goals and an assist in five games as a first-liner, after drawing blanks in his first 13 games on the fourth unit.

Along the way, Latendresse has managed to quiet the cynics who doubted he was ready to fulfill his potential in the big leagues.

"He's a good player who's going to get better," said Koivu. "He's a big guy who knows what to do with the puck and he can handle himself."

More than anything, Latendresse has to prove he can handle himself, not only to the organization but to the fans in Montreal eager to see another French-Canadian hero in the lineup.

A scoring star in the Quebec junior league, Latendresse was the second player drafted from his league in 2005 behind Sidney Crosby. Latendresse came to Montreal's training camp before last season with the kind of local hype usually reserved for someone considered a sport's next "it" guy. He had a fair camp, but it wasn't good enough to keep the teenager from being returned to his junior squad, a demotion he admitted was a serious blow to his psyche.

"It was difficult for sure going back there, especially at first," said Latendresse, who added some unnecessary weight to his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame and started slowly for his Drummondville team. "But at some point I realized I had to get through my season, so I think what happened really helped me."

In fact, Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau is convinced it did. Carbonneau captained the Canadiens for five of his 12 playing seasons with Montreal and understands the unique pressures homegrown players deal with in the rabid hockey market.

"He was in the papers every day, on TV every day, and then he had to go back to junior, where he struggled," Carbonneau said. "But the whole experience was important.

"He came in this year with the same goal in mind, to make the NHL, but with a different attitude, another vision of how to handle things. From Day 1, he stayed away from making big comments and just did his talking on the ice."

And it was loud in many ways. Latendresse tied for Montreal's preseason lead with three goals and showed the kind of physical prowess the team was hoping for. The combination was enough to land him a spot on the roster, but instead of beginning the season brimming with confidence, the youngster began with a cloud over his head, resulting from a hit-from-behind he delivered against Tampa Bay's Rob DiMaio in the final exhibition game.

DiMaio, a 17-year veteran, suffered a concussion that may prevent him from resuming his career. Latendresse was tagged as a cheap-shot artist.

"I'm a physical player doing the job they want, but I never want to hurt someone," Latendresse said. "I know some people said I didn't have to do it because it was preseason, but I was fighting for a spot so I had no choice."

Still, Latendresse was clearly affected by the incident and Carbonneau said it was part of the reason for the rookie's tentative start this season. But the organization stood behind Latendresse, assuring him that it would not exercise its option of returning to juniors before the season's 10th game -- a move that would have delayed his free-agency rights by a year -- and giving him a chance to find himself at his own pace.

"Nobody put any pressure on me, even when I was not scoring at the beginning of the season," Latendresse said. "It's nice to see they were able to wait and that they didn't have to wait too long."

Even so, it took an ankle injury to Montreal's leading scorer, Chris Higgins, to give the rookie a chance to shine. Carbonneau didn't hesitate to match the big kid with two top players when Higgins went down for six weeks, and the coach said he isn't surprised the combination has clicked.

Neither is Latendresse, for that matter.

"I'm lucky because Saku and Michael are such great players and they help make me better," he said. "I'm having a lot of fun with them and with everything about being in the NHL.

"Everywhere I go is a new experience and that's pretty cool."

Now if only someone could explain to him who Wally Pipp was.

I think Carbonneau might be Latendresse to the second line. Though, there is the possibility that he'll put Higgins on the second line, but I doubt that.

I wish I got more channels, I really want to see this kid play.