It was Tuesday morning that the hockey world learned that Pascal Vincent was becoming the new head coach of the Laval Rocket.
Sylvain Favreau, for his part, was involved in the hiring process, but he didn’t know much about it in advance. It was “late Monday night” that John Sedgwick, assistant general manager of the Canadiens and general manager of the Rocket, called Favreau to inform him that he had not been retained.
If there is proof that Favreau, head coach of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, was in the game until the end, it is there.
“I’m super happy to have been part of the process. It adds to my baggage. I know I’m ready for the next level,” Favreau said in a phone interview with The Press Wednesday noon. It will come when it comes. I am not bitter or disappointed. I am super happy with my experience.”
The 46-year-old came into this process with the wind in his sails. He led the Voltigeurs to the Gilles-Courteau Trophy last season, and therefore to a participation in the Memorial Cup. Previously, in 2022-2023, he was at the helm of the Halifax Mooseheads, who lost in six games in the QMJHL final.
“With the two seasons I’ve just had, it’s normal to have more attention,” Favreau said. “But I’m super happy to have been approached by the Canadiens. It’s a top-class organization. I feel ready, I know my turn will come. But I’m super happy in Drummondville, to work with a GM like Yanick Lemay, and with all the members of the organization.”
Busy summer
Favreau’s name is getting more and more attention. Two weeks ago, Hockey Canada named him an assistant coach to Dave Cameron for the upcoming world junior championship in December. Favreau held the same position last year at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, a major under-18 tournament.
Last spring, he was also contacted by the Rochester Americans, the Buffalo Sabres’ farm team, who were also looking for a new coach. That said, the Memorial Cup ended on June 2, and the Americans announced their new hire, Michael Leone, four days later.
They were already quite advanced in their efforts. It was more about getting to know each other.
Sylvain Favreau
In addition to these hiring processes, Favreau participated in the Nashville Predators development camp, where he was a guest coach. With scout Jean-Philippe Glaude and skills coach Sébastien Bordeleau, this organization has had its antennas in Quebec for years.
Favreau’s ties to the organization are strong, having drafted Zachary L’Heureux (2021) and Dylan MacKinnon (2023) over the years, two players who were then playing under his command in Halifax. This was his first invitation to an NHL camp.
This invitation, however, came at a time when he was in talks with the Canadiens. The situation may seem uncomfortable from the outside, but Favreau assures that it was not.
“I received the invitation and I had no guarantee in Laval,” recalled the Franco-Ontarian. “For me, it was two separate things. It was a great experience. When Montreal contacted me, I was transparent and said I had this invitation. And on their side, they understood that we were in a long process.”
The end of the Rocket’s hiring process will allow Favreau to breathe a little. He himself was lost in his comings and goings in recent weeks, from Saginaw to Nashville, via Drummondville and his corner of the country in the Ottawa region.
Kind words for Vincent
Favreau also had good words for Pascal Vincent, “a super good choice, an exceptional coach,” he said.
He doesn’t know the new Rocket pilot intimately, but Marty Johnston, a childhood friend, was Vincent’s assistant with the Manitoba Moose from 2017 to 2021.
Besides, he remembers talking to him at the 2018 draft in Dallas, during a coaches’ symposium.
“I had just started in Halifax, and he had me [fait part de] his experiences, how his career started. He didn’t have to do it. I don’t know him very well, but that’s what I saw that time, he’s a guy who’s generous with his time.”