The appointment of a successor to Mario Cecchini as president of the Alouettes should not take long, and the candidacy of Annie Larouche already seems to have a head start.
Pierre Karl Péladeau says he has already “previously identified” candidates. He is looking for someone with experience of the “trade”. In this case, the trade is experience in professional sport, preferably football.
The person sought must also have “talent in marketing”, as Pierre Karl Péladeau mentions. And the selected person will also have to have a good relationship with the owner of the club.
Well aware of the reputation that follows him, and which he described on Friday as “overrated”, Pierre Karl Péladeau took care to specify that he gets on well with the world and with his collaborators “when you participate in a common project that leads to success”.
Annie Larouche is currently Vice-President of Operations for the Montreal Alliance, a franchise of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, and knows the Alouettes well, having worked in the organization for 25 years in various capacities.
Asked at a press conference about this candidacy, Pierre Karl Péladeau replied with a big smile to the journalist who asked the question that he was “insightful”.
It was not possible to speak to him on Friday. The day before, however, The Press had spoken with her to get her reaction to the rumors that already sent her to the presidency of the Alouettes. “It’s very flattering,” she said, adding that she hadn’t received any calls.
Other names circulate behind the scenes in the entourage of the team. That of former Alouettes running back Éric Lapointe quickly surfaced. He had notably shown an interest in buying the team with partners a few years ago.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Eric Lapointe
Now a founding partner at Invicta Family Office, he congratulated Pierre Karl Péladeau on Friday in a message posted on the LinkedIn network. “For the first time in the long and fabulous history of the MTL Alouettes, we finally have the opportunity to be able to count on a local owner with the means of his ambitions. »
Joined by The PressÉric Lapointe says he has never been approached for the position over the years and has never “really thought about it”.
“I had not yet sold my businesses when we were involved in the file in 2019”, he specifies.
“It’s still funny that you ask me this question, he adds, because I was talking Friday morning with my good friend Danny Maciocia… and we were talking more about the coaching position for running backs for fun! »
The name of Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, offensive line coach with the Alouettes and former player of the team from 2009 to 2019, is also heard through the plants. The one who will turn 40 in the next week studied business administration at Laval University during his years with the Rouge et Or. A very good communicator, he certainly has the profile for the job. His lack of experience at the corporate level could, however, harm him in the immediate future.
The name of former Alouettes president Larry Smith also came to the ears of the representative of The Press Many times. For a short-term mandate and bring the Montreal community together, perhaps.