Canada Hockey | Serge Savard: “Leaders need to be changed”

(Toronto) Count Serge Savard among those who want to see changes at the head of Hockey Canada.

Guillaume Lefrancois
The Press

The former defender and general manager of the Canadiens was among the players invited to ScotiaBank Arena on Wednesday to mark the 50^e anniversary of Paul Henderson’s winning goal in Game 8 of the Series of the Century, sealing the outcome of the series.

But as in any event where we see jerseys with the maple leaf, the subject ended up coming back on the carpet, knowing the ambient unease that the Canadian hockey body arouses.

For Savard, Hockey Canada still has the power to unite Canadians, but only if there are changes at the top.

“It’s like Bell Canada or any other company changing direction. It won’t change the company. Hockey Canada will not change. Hockey Canada’s problem, and few people have spoken about it, is that it’s a small boy club “, confided Savard to The Press.

“I spoke to the Minister [des Sports, Pascale St-Onge] last week in Ottawa. I told him, “Don’t give up.” Hockey Canada will stay there, we have to change the leaders, that’s all. »

On this subject, new hearings will be held on October 4 before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, responsible for shedding light on the management of Hockey Canada. This time, the organization’s former president, Bob Nicholson, was summoned, as was Michael Brind’Amour, former president of the board of directors, as well as his interim replacement, Andrea Skinner.

“Hockey Canada is necessary to govern Canadian hockey,” continued Savard. But it should be better structured, with monitoring mechanisms. You go looking for grants, the government sends 10, 15 million dollars a year. You have to have a say in that. But it will come back. »

Savard deplores that members of the management cling to their position. “They don’t want to let go, these are great jobs,” he recalls.

The one nicknamed the “Senator” did not name anyone. But the case of Scott Smith illustrates the situation well. President and CEO of HC, Smith was roundly criticized earlier in September for presenting gold medals to Team Canada players who won the Women’s World Championship.

Two worlds

In addition to being introduced to the crowd before the Canadian-Maple Leafs pre-game duel, the members of the 1972 team took part in a press briefing organized by the Leafs in the afternoon. One after the other, they insisted on the unifying effect of their victory against the Soviets.

Savard himself reiterated what he said three weeks ago that the 1972 team united the Canadiens behind their new maple leaf flag.

“At the start, everyone said we were going to win every game. But if it had happened like that, I don’t know if we would be here tonight, he said. It was a very difficult series. Remember that the flag of Canada was controversial at the time. And from the moment we put that flag on our jersey and won the series, we didn’t hear a word about it. »

Pete Mahovlich, in verve, added to it. “At the time, I was living in Quebec and we were talking about separation. There were a lot of issues, and overnight those issues were pushed aside and we became Canadian again. »

Ken Dryden recalled that 16 million Canadians, out of a population of 22 million, watched the game, even if it was played on weekdays, during the day, “during work and school hours” .

The contrast was therefore great compared to the time when the governing bodies of Canadian hockey united instead of dividing. Journalists on site at the last Junior World Championships this summer reported a lukewarm atmosphere at best, in an event that generally thrills Canada from coast to coast. The scandal affecting the federation is obviously not the only factor – holding a tournament in the middle of summer posed a challenge in itself. Still, it was the elephant tournament in the room.

Judging by the holding of new hearings next week, the elephant is still very much present.