“Tell your children that you love them. Pet them every morning. »
The Montreal Canadiens resumed training on Thursday afternoon after a long 10-day break. But Martin St-Louis had more or less the head in hockey.
Before taking part in his traditional press briefing, the Habs head coach had a thought for the little victims of the tragedy that occurred the day before in Laval. Two young children lost their lives, and six others were injured, after a bus crashed into the Ste-Rose Educational Daycare, in the district of the same name.
“We are thinking of you guys,” said St-Louis, himself a native of Laval and father of three boys.
Although he had grown up in Laval-Ouest and Sainte-Dorothée, at the southwestern end of Île Jésus, “Boulevard Dagenais, Boulevard Sainte-Rose, I [fréquentés] not bad,” he said.
The man who had spent the last few days with his wife and one of their sons in the United States was barely getting off the plane in Montreal when he heard the news on Wednesday. It was the driver of the car transporting him home who informed him. The details revealed to him left him speechless. More than 24 hours after the tragic event, he still does not understand “how these things can happen”.
“Any kid that goes” to daycare, he began, then trailed off. “You think he’s safe,” suggested journalist Jonathan Bernier, from the Montreal Journalalso the father of three children.
“Exactly,” retorted St-Louis. These are things that we [tient] for granted, life, and everything… It’s really a shame to see acts of the same. »
The organization will pay tribute to the victims over the next few days. The Laval Rocket, the Habs’ AHL farm club, will observe a moment of silence before its Friday night game, while a sticker showing a white teddy bear will be placed on the back of the players’ helmets.