(Joliette) Dominique Ducharme is at peace with his experience with the Habs. What he experienced will only benefit him for the future, he believes.
“I withdraw the experience [avec le Canadien] full. This is how we continue to progress. »
“In my role, I’m going to use it the best I can,” said the new assistant coach of the Vegas Golden Knights in an interview with The PressThursday morning, at the Joliette Golf Club.
The first start of the 4e edition of his golf tournament had just taken place, around 7:30 a.m., when Ducharme took the time to answer our questions.
In the past year and a half, the 50-year-old has taken a step back. He traveled, went to help his former team in France, visited friends. If several opportunities presented themselves to him at different levels, he especially did not want to “go into any situation just to return” to the National League.
So he listened, discussed, reflected.
A few days after winning the Golden Knights, he received a call from Bruce Cassidy. The head coach of the Nevada troop had heard of him through Kelly McCrimmon, who was an assistant with Ducharme at Junior Team Canada in the past.
Cassidy had a similar start to Ducharme in the National League. Hired as head coach by the Washington Capitals for the 2002-03 season, he was fired a year and a half later due to the team’s failures.
“Surely he reviewed a little what he had experienced when we were talking about all that, mentions Ducharme. He’s inspiring, much like Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh. He’s been there too. Even Alain Vigneault, Michel Therrien. There have been others. »
“My journey may have reminded him of his,” he adds. Me, I’m happy because he’s a guy who has experience. They just won too. »
According to the Quebecer, the chance offered to him by the Golden Knights was “perfect”.
“I want to continue to grow as a coach. I’m going to see other things, other ways of doing things. Working with people like that is what I wanted. It’s not just the location. This is the complete situation. »
“I will also be able to contribute to the team. It’s a competitive team, which has just won, which has ambitions to repeat as quickly as possible. All of that put together…”
Beautiful and less beautiful
If Dominique Ducharme is no longer the head coach of the Canadiens for more than a year and a half already, his name often comes up in discussions. Some hold him responsible for the failures of CH in the first half of the 2021-2022 season. This label, however, does not bother the main interested party more than necessary.
“It’s a little down my spine, in the sense that these people aren’t inside. They do not know. If I run into Cole [Caufield] today, I’m going to be happy to see him and he’s going to be happy to see me. »
At the time, the Canadian was in a difficult situation with COVID-19. After a devastating off-season for the club’s management (end of Shea Weber’s career, departures of Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi…), Ducharme had to deal with an incomplete roster, constantly reduced by injuries.
“With what we went through, I have my responsibilities. The players have their responsibilities. Everyone has their responsibility. It’s not just because of me that we went to the final. I did my part, the players did their part. We put it all together. When things aren’t going well, we all have our responsibilities. »
“I understand the passion. Everyone wants to see the Canadiens succeed. That’s part of it, I get that. The first day I arrived, I knew I had 8 million assistants with me. Some have X ideas, others Y ideas. In the end, you go with what you think, with your own values, with your ways of working. »
“I wouldn’t change anything. I would keep the exact same team that played the last game against Tampa. »
Ducharme is serene, speaking of all these moments. As a Quebecer who grew up as a fan of the Habs, he always knew how much the role of head coach of the Montreal club could bring ups, very highs, and downs, very lows. This experience is now synonymous with learning.
” [Avoir été entraîneur du Canadien], it’s something that will serve me forever, both the good sides and the more negative sides. It’s just part of the journey. »
Good things
Ducharme makes no secret of it: like any coach, his goal is to one day regain his place as head coach in the National League. But he is neither waiting nor impatient. On the contrary.
“I’m really in the moment, I’m really happy with the situation. I believe that when you do the right things, good things happen to you. I do not have timeline. I trust life. »
“I will continue to grow, to gain experience as a coach, he continues. One day, I think it’s going to happen and I’m just going to have an even greater baggage of experience than today. »