(Chestnut Hill, Mass.) All roads lead to the NHL. That of André Gasseau, from Gaspésie to Boston via California, will be most unique if he reaches the circuit one day.
Gasseau is a Boston Bruins prospect, drafted at 213e rank in 2021, playing his first season in the NCAA at Boston College. He was born in California, raised in the minor hockey network of the Los Angeles Kings, but the acute accent on his first name and the sounding of his surname betray his Quebec origins.
It is also in French that he greets us when we arrive at the Conte Forum, on this chilly Tuesday evening, before switching to English for the interview.
“My father always spoke to me in French and expected answers in French. I studied in French for a few years, so that helped. I would say I’m comfortable. There are words I’m not sure of, or don’t know how to spell. But I can hold a conversation and that’s pretty cool. »
The father is James Gasseau, a Gaspesian who went into exile in California in the mid-1990s in the kind of story typical of the small world of hockey.
Gasseau played his junior hockey with the Voltigeurs de Drummondville from 1983 to 1986. Among his teammates, a certain Pat Brisson. When the Kings started building rinks in the Los Angeles area, Brisson slipped a note to his former teammate, and nearly 30 years later, James Gasseau still lives in California.
For a guy who has lived in an English-speaking environment for three decades, and who married a British Columbian, he has kept impeccable French, a feat under the circumstances.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JAMES GASSEAU
From left to right: André, Jacqueline, Terri and James Gasseau
“I talk to my mom on FaceTime every day. I listen to BPM Sports, TSN Radio too. I like that, memory! “says James Gasseau on the phone.
The difficulties of maintaining French for children born and raised in the United States have already been documented in our pages.
But for James Gasseau, it was “well, well important” to transmit French.
“I didn’t want to lose him. The children, since they were born, I just speak to them in French. André is better, he did three years at the French school. Jacqueline [sa fille] understands him, but his speech is less good. I told myself that I had the chance to teach them a second language, it was easy. I never flinched. André, his French is broken, but he can manage.
“I never gave up. Everything they hear from me is in French! »
Martial arts
André Gasseau is having an interesting first university season. With 19 points (5 goals, 14 assists) in 27 games, he comes in 4e Eagles scoring rank.
His favorite player? Brendan Gallagher. An astonishing response when we see the 6’4″ guy unfolding to stand up and greet us.
“My father is a big fan of the Canadiens and he always told me how good he is, that he has heart and that he is a leader. My father always told me to be like him. Obviously I’m bigger and I have a different style, but he always told me to look at him. »
Where Gasseau really stands out is in his training. In the summer, he indulges in jiu-jitsu and muay thai, disciplines rarely associated with hockey players.
“My dad signed me up when hockey was getting more robust,” he says. At first I wasn’t really interested, I thought it would be too difficult. But it’s been eight years now and I’ve never stopped. I make it every summer, three or four times a week. I try to incorporate it into my training regimen. And it’s a good mental tool, to control your emotions. It also teaches you to fight, or at least to defend yourself. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JAMES GASSEAU
Andre Gasseau
A good mental tool? “I’m 19 years old, I’m strong and I fight against a 50 year old man, older, less strong, and he beats me. It’s easy to get frustrated, you don’t expect to lose. So it shows you humility, it shows you to listen to what you are taught. »
The father was introduced to martial arts in his years at Laval University, when he was studying business. His job: “Doorman at the Merlin, at the Brandy, he recalls. In bars, people take a hit. It gave me physical confidence when things were happening. »
James Gasseau is no longer a coach, but as director of hockey programs for the Kings, he still gravitates in this universe.
“Martial arts, I recommend them to all young people who play team sports. It is good for mental toughness. It’s underutilized. It seems that young people are just training hockey, but they are not training their minds. It’s a fight. You can’t hide. You have to defend yourself, use your body. And in the culture, there is a lot of respect. »
123
Like his son, James Gasseau was also drafted by an NHL team. In 1984, the Buffalo Sabers claimed him at 123e rank. He played 82 games in the American League at Rochester.