It was just a pre-season game, between the Remparts and the Shawinigan Cataractes, which were quite different from the two teams that faced each other in the QMJHL semi-finals a few months ago. Clearly, however, there were hints of the controversial streak ending that crowned the Cats.
A bit on the ice, yes, since we were treated to a physical game that the Remparts won 6 to 3. But it was more the relationship between Patrick Roy and the officials that caught the eye.
Remember that when he announced his return behind the team’s bench, Roy had openly criticized the work of the QMJHL’s director of refereeing, Richard Trottier.
“It’s clear in my head that we need a change,” he pleaded.
Coincidence or not, the QMJHL had sent Nicolas Dutil and Olivier Gouin to officiate Saturday’s game. Dutil had a fight with Roy in Game 4 of the series against Shawinigan last season and Gouin was the one who called the penalty on Vsevolod Komarov at the end of Game 5, leading to Pierrick Dubé’s winning goal which propelled the Cataracts in the final.
EXPLOSIVE MIX
The cocktail was in place, and it didn’t even take a period for it to explode.
Dissatisfied with a non-call for obstruction in the defensive zone on Nathan Gaucher, at the end of the first period, Roy let his way of thinking be known to Dutil who immediately expelled the head coach of the Red Devils who then continued to garland the referee before leaving. There were 39 seconds left in the first period.
“As I said to my players, I consider that I don’t have the same treatment as other coaches across the league. That’s why I try to talk as little as possible during matches. […] I found it funny for the league to put them against Shawinigan, in an exhibition game. They lacked tact. »
Roy later admitted that the pill from last year’s loss was hard to swallow and maybe not completely.
“Maybe it’s me who’s going to have to do a mea culpa, look in the mirror and find a way to digest it.” It was going well until then, but when I saw them on the ice, I had a hard time understanding. Maybe I didn’t have the right attitude when I left, maybe I should have put that aside, but that’s not the type of person I am. »
“In my good years, the rack in hockey would have flown. Today, I try to stay calmer. I will have to go over it. Maybe it’ll have been good, what happened tonight. »
Moreover, note that Nicolas Dutil also imposed a ten-minute misconduct on Nathan Gaucher in third, after he had criticized a penalty to his teammate Charles Savoie.
ROCHETTE HAS FUN
But hey, there was also a game on Saturday that the Red Devils won by a score of 6 to 3 over the Cataractes.
A few days before leaving for the Philadelphia Flyers camp, Théo Rochette had fun with two goals and three assists in the victory.
Defender Vsevolod Komarov also distinguished himself with four assists.
In addition to Rochette, Kassim Gaudet, Zachary Bolduc, Frantisek Ridzon and Pier-Olivier Roy scored for the Remparts while Mathis Cloutier, Alexis Bonefon and Brett Yuzik did the same for the defending QMJHL champions, who will present a face very different in 2022-2023.
“We could have been better. It was a messy match and it was all over the place. I think we’re not going to hide it, we’re better than them and we’ll have to do a better job against teams like that to play safer with the puck and be better defensively,” mentioned Rochette.
►The Remparts will play their last preseason game next Friday, against the Rimouski Océanic. The game will be presented at the Colisée Béton Provincial in Matane.