“A rebirth of hockey in Quebec”. This is the mission of the new Quebec hockey development committee. He must submit his final report on 1er April.
It was Thursday afternoon at the Bell Center that Mr. Legault made the official announcement of the new government committee and the people who are part of it.
Chaired by former National League goalie and RDS analyst Marc Denis, it will be made up of 14 Quebecers who have had a career in hockey, whether on or off the ice. We find former players, players and referees such as Jocelyn Thibault, Kim St-Pierre and Stéphane Auger, experts in the field as well as people involved in the various leagues in Quebec. Most of them were present for the occasion. The idea, said Minister Isabelle Charest, was to have representatives from “all facets of hockey”.
The committee, independent and not “hermetic”, they say, will have to look at several aspects of hockey in Quebec: accessibility, infrastructure, women’s hockey, newcomers, retention and training of coaches and officials. , etc.
“What we want is to revive hockey, our national sport, in Quebec,” said the Prime Minister. We want a little, even, I would dare say, a revival of hockey in Quebec. I think we went looking for big players. ”
“It’s true that sometimes there are parents who are a little intense, who take it a little too seriously,” he added. We have to rediscover the pleasure of playing hockey, removing a layer of pressure from young people. I think that’s how we’re going to attract more little guys and girls who are going to want to play hockey. Eventually, yes, who will make the National League. ”
Marc Denis, for his part, insisted on the importance for the committee of placing “the young person, the athlete, the student, the hockey player” at the center of recommendations and decisions.
“I like the model of Quebec hockey, which does not mean that today we are not able to realize that we are eventually heading into a wall,” he said.
“We won’t have a magic wand,” he continued. We could make rule changes, provide incentives, end up with three to five more Quebec players in the national league in the short term. But that’s not where we want to go. We want to review a model that rubs shoulders with the Quebec model, which will be much more attractive in the long term. The direct result, if any, will certainly be music to your ears. ”
He also addressed those who are not part of the committee, but who would like to provide expertise; a process for submitting briefs has already started.
“We will not hesitate to go for an outpatient consultation,” he said. It is not a committee that has all the answers, that is hermetic. If there are gaps as we work together, we will seek expertise. There will be no ego in the committee. ”
“If we are not shaken at the heart of our deep convictions, we will not have done our job. I have no idea what the recommendations will be in a few months, but my intention is that this is not just another report, that this report will not be tabled. We will be a listening committee, but there are a lot of people of action as well. ”
More details to come.
Committee members
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
- Marc Denis (president), former NHL goalie and RDS analyst
- Jocelyn Thibault, General Manager at Hockey Quebec
- Stéphane Auger, former NHL referee
- Caroline Ouellette, former player and associate coach of the Concordia Stingers
- Kim St-Pierre, former player and new inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame
- Guillaume Latendresse, assistant to the commissioner of the LHJMQ
- Martin Lavallée, assistant to the commissioner of the QMJHL
- Dominic Ricard, coach of the school network and the QMJHL
- Geneviève Paquette, Vice-President, Community Engagement and Executive Director of the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation
- Albert Marier, expert
- Dany Dubé, host at 98.5 FM and former trainer
- Stéphane Quintal, former player and senior vice-president of the NHL player safety department
- Yanick Gagné, General Manager of the Quebec Under-18 AAA League
- Mark Durant, author