Marc Denis and the revival of hockey in Quebec | “A committee open to the world”

Marc Denis would no doubt have wished for a smoother entry at the head of the government committee on the revival of hockey.

Mathias Brunet
Press

Despite himself, this committee was criticized from its inception, including the lack of representativeness of cultural communities at the table of 15 and a potential snub to Jocelyn Thibault, newly appointed to head Hockey Quebec.

Our man, however, did not choose the composition of the committee or define the guidelines of the group, but he listened to and absorbed the grievances heard for a week.

“Most of the reviews don’t scare me. It’s just going to push me to consult more people. I don’t disagree with that. ”

And, true to his character, the former NHL goalie and brilliant RDS analyst has taken the bull by the horns.

“I have already exchanged texts, calls and emails in the last few days”, he confided in this great interview to Press carried out a few days before Marc Bergevin’s dismissal.

“It will be a committee open to the world. We could not sit 50 people around a table, but whether it was the First Nations, visible minorities, people outside the major centers of Montreal and Quebec, these people have already been consulted. Anglophones too. I had already made that commitment. ”

A few days ago, the committee recruited former Innu hockey player from Mashteuiatsh Francis Verreault-Paul, a model for Indigenous youth, as a consultant to put him more in touch with First Nations issues.

Marc Denis, 44, grew up in Montreal and has seen the change take place in La Belle Province.

“I see Quebec changing. I will go further. Even back then my teammates were called Tempestini, Perna, Scali and Dimitrakos. I played with the guys from Parc-Extension, Pompéi, Saint-Michel, Villeray, Rosemont and Ahuntsic. I have known this reality for a long time. Hockey is important for those communities as well. ”

Even if they are not in opposition since the committee is in the recommendations and Hockey Quebec in action, Marc Denis took care to communicate with Jocelyn Thibault, a goalie like him in the NHL, before the official announcements. The two men will have to work hand in hand.

“We talked, Jocelyn and me. “Marc Denis against Jocelyn Thibault”, that one we had not seen it coming, for example… ”, he said, letting out a small laugh.

“I don’t want to put words in his mouth,” continues Marc Denis, “but Jocelyn is eager for the committee to begin its work. I can understand the perception very well. We know each other, we get along very well. We can’t wait to work together. “

“We are not federative, we are here to look at the hockey situation. Certain recommendations could be applied by Hockey Quebec and we have Jocelyn Thibault, but also Geneviève Paquette who is on the Board of Directors of Hockey Quebec and whom I did not hear about this week. ”

His association with the government materialized in late October during the Canadian’s trip to the American West.

“I left Montreal without having the slightest idea of ​​the project and when I returned, I was a few hours away from accepting the role. I was contacted by the minister’s office [Isabelle] Charest, Alex Poulin not to name him. Above all, he expressed to me the desire to hold a general meeting. What caught my attention was their desire to look for possible solutions and not to dwell on what is wrong. ”

A first meeting

The first meeting took place on Thursday. “Contractually, our committee cannot talk about the work in progress, I don’t know how it will start, but at the start, there are a lot of details on the operation, a look at the role of each, how to study the themes with the good people and the great challenge is to manage everything because there will soon be hundreds and even thousands to put our two cents in there. ”

Marc Denis appreciates the fact that most of the committee members are already in the field. “Kim St-Pierre goes with her guys to the arena on weekends; Geneviève Paquette’s son is a caretaker; Stéphane Quintal’s guy is in school hockey, my two guys are junior AAA. Most have both hands in it or have just washed them. ”

Our man had to give up his role as manager with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens to avoid any conflict of interest, but he continues to provide us with his rich analyzes during the Canadiens’ games on RDS. He still has the flame after 10 years and is constantly seeking to renew himself.

We feel a lot of work behind his analyzes. “Preparation is the most important part. The pandemic meant that we had less access to athletes. It is to talk to the people who have worked with these players. “

Marc Denis never hesitates to use the telephone. “People have easy judgment in our field and I need a large sample to pass judgment on a player. Going for information, it adds to the matches that we see. Christian Dvorak, I did not have enough of the five games I had seen in real life to know if he could replace [Phillip] Danault. ”

Structured, it leaves nothing to chance. “It’s important to be on the lookout for new techniques, new tactics, game systems, new players. There are fewer and fewer players I have played with. They are behind the bench and in organizations now. It’s up to me to be even more turned on. ”

This committee is in good hands.