Rare are the missteps taken by the management of the Montreal Canadiens since the major cleaning began in January with the departure of Marc Bergevin. Since then, and with good reason, a wind of hope has revived the team’s partisan base. We have the impression that the team is moving forward, that it is “modernizing”, on the ice and off the ice.
But the honeymoon had to end sooner or later. And surprisingly, it wasn’t a losing streak or a dodgy trade that brought the fans down to earth. By agreeing to display the RBC logo on players’ jerseys (and wisely at the same time as a new captain is announced), the management of the Canadiens has made a gaffe, a big gaffe. Yes, the colors of the logo match very badly with the colors of the jersey (yellow and blue on red, really?). Yes, the very fact of having a logo on the jersey raises all kinds of questions. But the problem is elsewhere.
A sports team like that of the Canadiens does not operate in a “sporting world” isolated from the real world, but is deeply rooted in society, as a cultural symbol and a living embodiment of collective identity. It is not for nothing that the organization is constantly brought back to debates on French. The Montreal Canadiens logo and its jersey evoke a cultural and political dimension that goes far beyond the simple status of a sporting symbol. In other words, the Montreal Canadiens logo is an extension of other visual representations of Quebec identity, and as such plays a social function similar to the flag itself.
Recognizing that the Canadiens jersey is “sacred” is much more than adopting a perspective on the history of hockey, it is above all understanding the role of such symbols in consolidating the collective conscience. Loving the Montreal Canadiens, whether for years, or the moment of a serial period, is consciously or not expressing your desire to belong to a community. That is, to identify with a set of values and ideals shared by a constellation of individuals.
So where is the problem ? RBC happens to be environmentally one of the worst organizations Canadians could have found to partner with. Especially for such a visible partnership. Indeed, RBC is by far the worst bank in Canada when it comes to investing in fossil fuels, and even fifth in the world in this regard, just behind giants such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
And it’s not a reversing trend. Between 2020 and 2021, RBC nearly doubled its fossil fuel investments from $19 billion to $39 billion. However, probably in its concern for “modernization”, the organization of the Canadiens claims to be part of the desire for a “green” turn, in ” [inscrivant] organization among industry leaders, on the ice and in the community, through programs that reduce its environmental footprint, supporting the green shift”. But seeing the prestige and historical value of the Sainte-Flanelle sweater being thus exploited for the benefit of an organization so harmful to the ecological transition, one cannot help but see a lot of hypocrisy in it.
With the recent upheavals that have hit the world of hockey and the organization of the Canadiens itself, doesn’t hockey culture have a sufficient societal debt, a certain responsibility to assume? Are we really going in the right direction if we still accept that our strongest cultural symbols cohabit with the financial vectors of global warming? Of course, the Montreal Canadiens–RBC association might seem minor in the big picture. But it’s a straw that broke the camel’s back for many, already too full of hypocrisy and greenwashing.
Mr. Molson, if you want to “modernize” your team, start by cleaning your jersey of these abominable colors. And no, I’m not talking about yellow or blue, but oily stains from the black oil silver.