It’s windy, it’s cold, the weather conditions are not ideal, but you recognize Richard Sévigny the moment he gets out of his vehicle.
He hasn’t changed too much: short stature, sympathetic air, frank smile. On this quiet midday in the east of the city, he blends into the landscape, and people passing by probably do not suspect that he once kept the net of the Canadian brilliantly, to the point of harvesting a Vézina trophy.
But that’s him: modest, reserved, not too inclined to boast of a past that is nevertheless fabulous.
“I’ve never used that,” he explains straight away. I never told anyone that I was a former NHL goalie to try to get something. ”
Modest origin
We tell him that long ago, not so long ago, a friend and colleague told us about a goaltending school on Saturday morning at the Camillien-Houde arena, in the Center-Sud district. A certain Richard Sévigny was responsible for it, and our reaction was as follows: Richard Sévigny, the former goalkeeper of the Canadiens and the Nordiques? This Richard Sévigny there?
Yes, that one. He also happens to come from humble Montreal minor hockey circles, having put on his first pads at the Père-Marquette arena in Rosemont at the age of 8.
I was never enrolled in a hockey school … My first training, I didn’t even know how to skate, so I wanted to be a goalie.
Richard sevigny
“I fell on the ice and my brother, who was following me behind, was hit with a stick in the eye. His career ended that day … ”
From the old Père-Marquette rink to the Montreal Forum, there is a giant step forward, which he made in the only possible way: with determination. He’s always been the one to go a long way anyway, and in 1977 the Canadiens took a risk with him, at the cost of a seventh-round draft pick. “The 124e in total ! “, He recalls not without pride.
The great team
He then showed up at the big club camp in the middle of a dynasty.
Imagine: at my first camp with the Canadian, they gave me a place in the Forum locker room, with Ken Dryden on my right and Guy Lafleur on my left. I looked at it and I said to myself: it’s not working, I have no business there …
Richard sevigny
As far as he recalls, 12 goalies were present at Camp des Glorieux that day, and obviously the seventh round pick was not a priority. “But there was a scout who noticed me, and he asked me if I wanted to go to Kalamazoo, where the Detroit Red Wings school club was playing. I went there, because you never know. Once there, I was cut off, and I thought it was over for me, but soon after, they changed coaches and called me back. I played with them, and in the summer I got a call from an agent, because I didn’t have an agent myself. The guy told me that the Canadian wanted to offer me a contract … ”
He still remembers the numbers on the checks: $ 6,000 to Kalamazoo, $ 14,000 to play in the American League in Nova Scotia, where the Canadiens’ school club was then domiciled. “I more than doubled my salary at once! He received $ 60,000 in his first season at the Forum, in 1979-1980.
“I never thought of going to the NHL,” he adds. My dream was to do a year in the semi-pro to experience bus travel, trips to the United States. Finally, I played 11 years in the professional ranks. You have to appreciate the life you have … ”
After having hit the “jackpot” with the Nordiques in 1984-1985 (“$ 140,000, my biggest salary in the league”), he ended up retiring, to then go and manage hockey teams in France. On his return to Quebec, he decided to return to the base and to more modest arenas.
“I came back from Briançon, and a friend who worked at the College of Montreal told me about a job … I told him to give my name. A few days later, I had a meeting and I started in that environment. It was in September 1992. ”
Give back
This desire to give back and give a helping hand to young people has not faded. He subsequently contributed to the creation of a hockey program at the Collège de l’Assomption, an adventure that lasted almost 20 years.
“It wasn’t elite. It was especially for young people who had not had the chance to play civilian. ”
I took care of six teams in the same year! The young people, for the most part, had never played civilian, and that allowed them to wear a hockey jersey, to take a little trip to Saint-Jérôme in a school bus with their equipment … !
Richard sevigny
In the course of our discussion, he will proudly quote the names of some of his young people who have climbed the ranks, including Marie-Pierre Jalbert, who became an international hockey referee. “I worked almost 52 out of 52 weeks, and I never complained. Just a smile from these young people and for me, that was enough. Also, I have a lot of trouble saying no! ”
These days, in addition to the games with the Former Canadiens, which he hopes to resume soon, he remains involved in the world of minor hockey, and we can see him with a referee’s jersey on the rinks in the Sorel region. . He does it because he likes it … and also because he feels he has to do it.
“The big problem is that in a few years, there will be no more hockey volunteers to take care of the children … There will be no one to officiate the games of these children. Of course, at $ 15 or $ 20 a game, it’s paid very little. There are games that are canceled because there are no more referees, and if the young people do not play, they will gradually give up hockey to move on to another sport. ”
A man of frankness
At 64, Richard Sévigny remains what he has always been: a man of openness and a man of passion. Regrets, he has none, and the word “luck” is sprinkled here and there during our conversation. The luck to have lived this, the luck to have lived this …
Lucky to have been able to be Richard Sévigny.
“I am sometimes asked if I am jealous of today’s big wages in the NHL… The answer is no, because today, me, at 5’8”, I wouldn’t even play; all goalies are 6’4 ” guys! But I don’t think about it. I’ve known guys who played in the NHL and then it was a disaster, they didn’t know what to do with their lives. As for me, hockey has brought me to know people. And it was a privilege … ”