If Alex Harvey decided to write down his journey in a biography, it was not out of pretension or the need to return to the limelight, but rather to respond to an increasingly strong demand. The Canadian cross-country ski prodigy is aware of his heritage and, five years after his last race, the time had come to tell his story.
In bookstores since Wednesday and published by Éditions de l’Homme from the pen of colleague Simon Drouin, Alex Harvey: The Prince – Journey of a Champion traces the exceptionally fascinating trajectory of the two-time world champion and winner of eight gold medals on the World Cup circuit.
From his first Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010 to his last podium on the Plains of Abraham in 2019, including his fourth place in the 50 km event at the Sochi Olympic Games in 2014, Harvey looks back in detail on the events which punctuated a career which attracted attention and admiration.
You have to know the former skier somewhat to know that he would never have had the ego to assume that cross-country skiing enthusiasts absolutely needed this 264-page book.
Drouin pitched the idea to him in 2018, a year before his retirement. But Harvey didn’t care.
This is our section Misbehaviorweekly column in which journalists from the sports team of The Press and readers are invited to answer a question in an often relatively light tone, which was the beginning of this whole process.
“I wasn’t actively thinking about it until I saw this column in The Press in December 2022,” explains the 35-year-old lawyer, arriving at his office in downtown Montreal.
To the question “Which personality from the world of sport would you like to write a biography of?” », a reader replied Alex Harvey. “Simon forwarded this article to me. And in January 2023, two publishing houses contacted me, without solicitation. And I assume it’s related to this article. I called Simon back. Looking back, it interested me and Simon was still open to playing the game.”
A year later, he and Simon Drouin have produced a captivating book that takes us behind the scenes of some of the great moments in the history of Canadian sport.
“For example, people still ask me why I don’t blame the Russians (Editor’s note: Russia was banned from the Olympics for four years in 2019 for faking anti-doping data) for not having had a medal at the Olympic Games, but I know that I have this feeling of serenity inside of me. But here, I was able to put words to it, verbalize it better, so it’s an interesting exercise. »
It is also about his relationship with his father Pierre, his coach Louis Bouchard, his agent Denis Villeneuve and with his teammates on the national team, at a time when cross-country skiing was less well developed. Overall, diving back into his memories was a real pleasure. He also realized the magnitude of his legacy.
“Human memory means that there were memories altered due to time. Simon was really good at setting things straight and challenging me on some of these memories, because he was going back and looking at some of his interview notes and articles that he had written. It was really interesting to put everything into perspective. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Alex Harvey
A crowd favorite
On December 21, 2019, Harvey was elected by the readers of The Press as the Quebec athlete of the decade. An honor of which he still takes great pride to this day, given the athletes he faced during this round robin tournament.
“There were Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, [Mikaël] Kingsbury, Charles [Hamelin]the two Alexanders [Bilodeau et Despaties]. There were names! It really warmed my heart to see that people, in one way or another, had become attached to me. »
He mentioned this in a portion of the interview in which he discussed his coverage and the recognition of his compatriots once he returned to his homeland after long winters spent abroad. In Scandinavia, particularly in Norway, the Quebecer was a megastar. He was in demand as a Montreal Canadiens player in the metropolis. Now, here, probably because of his discipline, his successes and exploits on the other side of the ocean perhaps attracted less praise and spotlight.
However, the main interested party says he is blessed to have received so much attention, especially for an athlete who has never won an Olympic medal.
“It’s the perfect balance, because when I compared with Devin [Kershaw], who is one of my best friends, and my other teammates, even when they had very big successes, they had very little media coverage. Whereas for me, I have always had very good media coverage. Not as good as compared to the Scandinavians, but compared to my teammates, she was excellent. And it wasn’t like hockey players where we’re in gossip magazines either, but that’s what it’s like in Norway. It was a good balance. Even today, at the grocery store, people are super courteous. »
All his life, since his adolescence, Harvey spoke about his passion, his ambitions and his daily life in the present or the future. However, for a year he had to converse in the past tense.
The fact remains that the exercise was worth it. He is proud of the end result and hopes that those who followed him for almost two decades will be able to enjoy his stories and relive all his moments of grace with him.
“It’s a little painful to think back on it all, because it was so much fun, but it still makes me appreciate the fact that I was able to step away at the right time and I’m really happy with my life right now. »
Read excerpts from the book Alex Harvey: The Prince – Journey of a Champion
Alex Harvey: The Prince – Journey of a Champion
Les Éditions de l’Homme
264 pages