(Saint-Hyacinthe) “The ball is in our court. For Jocelyn Thibault, general manager of Hockey Quebec, it is now the turn of his federation to organize his “revolution”.
Posted at 3:36 p.m.
Hockey Quebec held its annual general meeting on Saturday at a hotel in Saint-Hyacinthe. In particular, the report of the Quebec Committee on the Development of Hockey, formed by the Legault government and chaired by Marc Denis, was discussed.
The document, filed in early May, offered no less than 190 possible solutions to revive hockey in the province. Its focal point: “taking pleasure seriously”, or making sure to “put young people back at the center of priorities”, according to Marc Denis.
The latter corroborates the statement of the DG of Hockey Quebec.
Me, what I want is that we take the ball at the leap. Hockey needs leadership. And leadership is up to you.
Marc Denis
Minister Isabelle Charest, notably responsible for leisure and sports, said she “agreed” with the recommendations in a pre-recorded video and broadcast at the start of the rally on Saturday.
But the parliamentary session has just ended. At the start of the school year, Quebec will be in an election period. We cannot therefore expect that major decisions, financial or structural, will be made between now and the start of the next hockey season in the province.
That said, Hockey Quebec is already working on “concrete actions” for this summer. Among other projects, he wants a “national mobilization campaign”.
“One matter that concerns me a lot is the psychological safety of players, underlines Jocelyn Thibault at The Press. All the stories we heard this winter, the racist, homophobic remarks, the acts of aggression… We lack a bit of financial means, but we would like to raise people’s awareness at the provincial level on this. »
“We have to strike in the fall. It needs to change. »
The major parts of the “reinvention” desired by Hockey Quebec will therefore not be set in motion right away. It was to be expected, says Yve Sigouin, the president of the federation.
“We understand the political situation. […] On our side, we are going to work. There will surely be things that we will be working on all summer. As soon as the government returns in the fall, we will be ready to work with them. »
“Bringing together all the players”
For Marc Denis, it is still necessary to ensure that the report is not set aside.
“For me, there’s a big difference between taking the time to analyze what you’re depositing and shelving it,” he explains in an interview with The Press. There is still a lot of material. We raked wide. »
The president of the Quebec committee on the development of hockey had set out the broad outlines during his presentation. We want “more players”. We want to “keep them longer”. In addition to “providing them with a better environment”.
The issue of retention came to the fore several times during the morning. Too many players leave hockey after adolescence, for lack of avenues to play.
Yve Sigouin wishes to “federate all hockey players in the province”. To make sure you have a “top-down relationship”.
The solution could also go through university hockey. There are only three Quebec men’s teams (UQTR, Concordia, McGill) and three women’s (McGill, Concordia and Montreal) in the current network. This creates a brain drain to the American NCAA.
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Marc Denis, President of the Quebec Committee on the Development of Hockey, and Isabelle Charest, Minister of Sports
“We find that there is a hole there”, explains Marc Denis.
“The goal is to eventually arrive with a university league,” says Stéphane Auger, responsible for development and hockey operations at the RSEQ.
This is one of the most fiscally significant recommendations in the report. Could such an investment become an obstacle to the application of this idea?
“It depends on what level they want to get involved,” says Auger. […] But the interest is there. »
“Ideally, it would be as soon as possible,” he answers questions about a potential timeline. In the medium term, certainly. We are already starting to work on this level. »
For Yve Sigouin, “the boots must follow the chops” at the government level. A concept shared by all.
“Of course there will be cases that will not see the light of day, concedes Marc Denis. We won’t strike for 1,000. It’s impossible. »
Is he disappointed that the recommendations have not yet been set in motion by the CAQ?
“There’s no disappointment yet,” he said, before flashing a mischievous smile. We’ll talk about it in a year or two. »