Focus on the positive. Always. It was the watchword of Julien Béland and his family, in recent years, when life sent them trials.
Julien Béland had finally achieved his goal of breaking into the formation of a QMJHL team, that of the Rimouski Océanic, in September 2021. A feat that could not be more satisfying, a year after being cut off from the camp of the Gatineau Olympiques, the team that drafted him in 2019.
For the first time in his life, the young man left his family home in Quebec to move to Bas-Saint-Laurent. But his happiness was quickly clouded by bad news. During a visit to Rimouski in October, her parents told her that her mother had breast cancer.
“I had known during the summer that my mother had a mass on one breast and that she was going to be examined by the doctors, but we did not yet know what it was. We hadn’t talked about it again, “says the young man to The Press after training at the Sports Rousseau Center of Excellence in Boisbriand. The QMJHL published Julien’s story on its website in November as part of its “Hockey to Conquer Cancer” initiative.
A known scenario
The news was painful. Especially since this scenario, Julien had already experienced it. Four years earlier, his father had been diagnosed with cancer. From the colon this time.
At the time, Julien was playing in bantam AAA. From the top of his 14 years, he understood the situation, without really realizing how “it is big and dangerous”, he remembers. “When he started his chemotherapy treatments, that’s when I understood. »
He saw his tired, weakened father. But his parents have “always stayed the course,” he says proudly. “They were always positive. That’s what kept me positive. »
When lightning struck his family again last year, Julien was 18 years old. He understood even more “the magnitude” of the thing. And this time he was far away. Far from his people. From his brother Tristan. From his sister Emma. Of the House.
Rather than feeling sorry for himself, wondering why his family was still affected, he chose to focus on the positive. Like his parents always did. After all, the apple never falls far from the tree…
“The most important thing was that she had surgery quickly. »
Hockey as an escape
That’s what happened. ” [Les médecins] removed the mass quickly, so there was no danger of… dying”, Julien hesitates.
His mother then underwent chemotherapy treatments “to make sure that there was no cancerous mass that came back”, he explains. Meanwhile, the young man maintained his routine in Rimouski. “I was trying to stay as strong as possible. »
His escape? Hockey.
I love hockey so much. Being able to escape in there, I liked that. But I also made sure to always be there for my parents, to call them as often as possible to make sure everything was under control.
Julien Beland
His trainer, Serge Beausoleil, nevertheless quickly noticed that something was wrong. “I thought he was less well, that there was less sharpness in his game,” he explains.
“He’s an extraordinary guy to lead, a good person, continues the coach. It is full of good intentions. On the ice, it’s amazing how passionate he is. I found that there was a slowdown, that he was less focused. »
Beausoleil therefore met his attacker, who opened up to him and confessed to him what he was going through.
“Not all young people do it. We try to build a relationship of partnership with young people, where we tell them that we appreciate them, that we love them. […] These are data that I need to know. I’m not going to go hard on a guy who doesn’t feel good. We will help him in another way. »
The coach is full of praise for Julien. “He is an exceptional being. It has the highest R-rating we’ve ever seen. It’s indecent to talk about it! “, he also jokes, impressed.
“We gave him time. He went to support his parents, his mother, and he came back. He felt so much better. […] To lead guys like that, it reconnects us with the sport. »
When the Océanic played in Quebec, Victoriaville or Drummondville, Beausoleil allowed his forward to spend time with his parents. “It was fun to have my coach’s support in that,” suggests Julien with a smile, still grateful a year later.
Inspirational performances
Despite the obstacles, Julien Béland amassed 29 points in 56 games in his very first season in the QMJHL. And that earned him an invitation to an NHL camp, that of the Anaheim Ducks, at the end of the year. After rain the good weather.
“I was so happy. If you had told me that a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. I really had an important contribution from my teammates. They have always been there for me. And the Océanic gave me a real chance to show off, ”says the one whose plan B is to be a doctor.
In 38 games so far this season, the youngster already has 14 goals, surpassing his tally of goals from last year (10).
When meeting The Presshe was one of the “best players” of the Océanic, according to Serge Beausoleil.
At the end of our interview, Julien tells us how much what his family has been through has “opened his eyes” to the ravages of cancer. “As soon as you have a small concern, you have to talk to a doctor about it to make sure they discover it quickly. This is what can save us, ”he insists.
Above all, he realized how precious time is.
“You never know what can happen the next day,” he drops.