When the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced last March that it would strengthen its regulations on fighting with the objective of having fewer and fewer of them, several fans climbed the barricades.
Some people laughed at the circuit. Even the captain of the Canadian, Nick Suzuki, said he did not understand this decision.
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The mockery did not please Commissioner Mario Cecchini. However, he is convinced that it was the decision to make for the good of his players who are between 16 and 20 years old.
“The reaction is clearly different between English Canada and Quebec as well as our league,” he observed Thursday during his first press conference marking the start of the campaign. In the last 24 hours I have made three podcasts in the Maritimes and I frankly noticed that the regulation of fights had made progress and I felt support. »
Just one fight
In the 64 exhibition games, there was only one battle, unlike 19 and 20 in the last two years, which was about twice as many as in the regular season.
“It’s the new generation that’s bringing us here,” Cecchini assured, admitting that he expected around ten fights. The young people are there. Not everyone will say it openly. I think there is no longer any desire to stand out in this way. The preseason showed that the message had been sent.
Players who throw down the gloves will be expelled from the game, those who are designated as instigators and aggressors will receive one and two game suspensions, while a second fight will deprive the skater of a match.
“What a player hates most is wasting his playing time,” confirmed Cecchini. When you’re trying to make your case for your dream of playing in the National League, you want to spend time on the ice. »
Memorial Cup Adjustments
The major junior circuits in Ontario and the West, headed by the Canadian Hockey League, are not as strict and a choice will have to be made in view of the Memorial Cup, the national tournament at the end of the season.
“The Canadian League will eventually have to announce the regulations that will be adopted. It will be interesting to have these conversations,” commented the QMJHL commissioner, adding that “it will be a first indication” to know in which direction the other leagues wish to move.
No less robust
The decrease in the number of fights did not prevent the QMJHL from getting their hands on the Memorial Cup during the last four championships, even if some said that its players lacked robustness.
“Despite the size of the players in the [Thunderbirds de] Seattle, I haven’t seen any softness [jeu mou] on the side of [Remparts de] Quebec, who controlled the match [final] from A to Z. We talk about hockey, change in culture and mentality. I expect this kind of resistance,” Cecchini emphasized, while touching the precious trophy.
The latter, however, said he was “concerned about people who do not inform themselves or scouts who do not do their job 100% and who would take that for cash “.
” That bothers me. We will work to ensure that our players are valued. I don’t want to be compared to other Canadian leagues, but to all the players around the world who play in leagues that have regulations like ours,” said Cecchini.
Watch Mario Cecchini’s interview with Jean-Charles Lajoie in the video above.