(Quebec) Last April, while he was fighting hard to secure a playoff spot with his Islanders, coach Patrick Roy received text messages from his friend and long-time business partner Jacques Tanguay.
The former president of the Remparts absolutely wanted to give “Casseau” the latest news from the Bordeaux Boxers, then in the final of the French Ice Hockey Championship, the Magnus league.
“Jacques was texting me to say, ‘We took a 2-0 lead in the final.’ Unfortunately, they got beaten in the final. But it’s fun to follow a different caliber than what we’re used to,” Roy said Monday afternoon in Quebec City, during a small press conference.
This is because Patrick Roy, Jacques Tanguay and the president and CEO of the Grandio group, Jean Bédard, invested in the Bordeaux Boxers last January. The three investors got their hands on 18.5% of the team’s shares.
PHOTO CAROLINE GRÉGOIRE, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVES
Jacques Tanguay
Monday’s press conference was attended by Boxers management. The Bordeaux team is in training camp in Quebec, a result of the arrival of Quebec investors. The Boxers used to prepare for the start of their season in the Alps. This year, they are doing so between Mont-Saint-Hilaire and Quebec.
They will play Tuesday evening against Quebec players at the PEPS of Laval University, after having done the same exercise in the Montreal region.
“I am convinced that the players are having a great experience,” notes Patrick Roy. “On Sunday, they played against guys from the Montreal area, including Max Talbot, former professionals, guys with a great background and stories to tell. It can only be beneficial for these players.”
Hockey is progressing in France
This 10-day camp in Quebec should allow the Bordeaux team to continue its progression of recent years. Its participation in the series final last year was beyond expectations for this team accustomed to the middle of the table, in a league dominated by Grenoble and Rouen.
During their stay in Quebec, the players eat at La Cage aux Sports, a partner of the team. “We eat at La Cage, but with varied menus. We don’t just eat wings and poutine there,” reassured Stéphan Tartari, general manager of the Boxers.
The opening of the first Cage in France, that of Bordeaux, is also at the origin of the investment of the three Quebecers in the Boxers.
“It’s love at first sight. Sometimes, we would talk about it with Patrick and Jacques. We should buy a club in Europe, we would travel, it would be different… It just happened,” notes the big boss of the Cages, Jean Bédard.
However, when Roy agreed to jump on the adventure, he was not yet the head coach of the New York Islanders. “When Jacques contacted me at that time, I did not have a job in the NHL. A month later, I got the job with the Islanders, which meant that, unfortunately, Jacques had more time to devote than I did,” Roy notes.
France is used to foreign investment in its big soccer clubs, especially from the Persian Gulf. But the Magnus league remained very insular.
“When they are Quebecers, it is viewed favorably,” says the president and general manager of the Boxers, Thierry Parienty.
“That said, it had never been seen in the league, so we warned the federation, because it still had the effect of a small bomb, especially with Patrick in the group.”
Cheese imported from Quebec
Jean Bédard is the only one of the trio of investors to have attended the team’s playoff games in person. He liked what he saw.
“Hockey was more popular than I thought in Bordeaux. During the series, the Cage de Bordeaux would fill up to watch hockey. I have videos… I get goosebumps from them. I would have thought yes for rugby, yes for football, but for hockey!”
The Boxers have averaged 3,200 spectators per game, playing 23 of their 28 home games to sold-out crowds. Quebec investors note that the World Hockey Championship will be held in France in 2028, then the Winter Olympics in 2030. Hockey is on the rise.
The Cage experiment in France is also a success, says Bédard. A second one is due to open in the spring in Aix-en-Provence.
But how is poutine made there? Even in this highly cheese-producing country, proud of its 400 varieties, cheese curds must be imported from Quebec. Jean Bédard explains: “The cheese comes from Quebec, it’s not fresh, but it’s good. The poutine in Bordeaux is as good as the one in Quebec.”