Less than a month after the Michael Rousseau affair, which recalled the importance for business leaders established in Quebec to speak French, Geoff Molson is not lacking in cheek by choosing a unilingual Anglophone to oversee the Canadiens hockey sector. . The organization’s message is clear: no Francophone has the assets to fill this position. For Quebec hockey, the setback is major.
This aspect of the news aroused the disapproval of some. But we are light years away from the outcry that occurred in 2011 after the appointment of a head coach (Randy Cunneyworth) unable to speak French. In this sense, Molson won his battle.
The breach thus created by the president of the Canadian opens the door to the possible hiring of a head coach unable to speak French. It will suffice to appoint a francophone associate coach to meet the media and the controversy will be hushed up. While this approach is valid in executive offices, it will be equally valid behind the bench.
Molson didn’t put it that way during his Monday briefing, but actions are more meaningful than words. We are witnessing a major change of direction for the Canadian. This is part of a strong trend that began with the annual draft. The maxim “For equal talent, we choose a Quebecer” has not been respected for a long time.
Jeff Gorton does not know the reality of Quebec. As proof, Dominique Ducharme, who rolled his head for years in Quebec junior hockey in addition to leading Junior Team Canada, has never met him. This shows that Gorton’s antennas in “our” development hockey are nil, or almost.
PHOTO SETH WENIG, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jeff Gorton
One would have to be naïve to believe that this is a trivial factor. Anyone who dreams of the CH showing so much interest in local talent on a regular basis – and not every year in 10 – will have to moderate their expectations.
Gorton will be speaking to the media soon and I’m sure he will make a good impression. He will say a few words of greetings in French and will undoubtedly promise to devote efforts to learning the language. If necessary, the CEO of Air Canada can pass on the contact details of his teachers.
If Gorton keeps his word, I’ll be the first to congratulate him. After all, maybe he’ll become a second Jesse Marsch. The Impact’s first coach in MLS, he took up this challenge after less than a year spent in Quebec. But his case is the exception.
That’s not all: will Gorton read Press and The Journal of Montreal ? Will he listen to 98.5 FM and 91.9 Sports? Will he watch RDS and TVA Sports? To ask the question, is to answer it. I do not know, in these circumstances, how he will take the pulse of the French-speaking market, the market which is the basis of the popularity of the Canadian.
To push the pill, Molson announced the upcoming hiring of a bilingual general manager. This person, he assured, will have real decision-making power, being ultimately responsible for the composition of the team. But above all, he wants Gorton and the bilingual GM to work hand in hand.
On paper, the plan is valid. But let’s be realistic: the balance of power is already established and it is clearly to Gorton’s advantage. His title of “executive vice-president”, a higher hierarchical status than that of general manager, is the first manifestation of this.
Jeff Gorton will have a crucial influence in the choice of the bilingual general manager, who will be partly responsible for his hiring. It will tint their relationship from the start.
We can also believe that Gorton will be better paid than the bilingual CEO. And since he’s the one Molson first turned to to revive the team, he’ll be his right hand.
Gorton also arrives in Montreal with the seal of approval of Gary Bettman, an additional card in his game. Molson did not hide it: he consulted the commissioner of the NHL before acting. Why ?
Even if Molson defended himself, I believe the Logan Mailloux case explains it in part. In addition to causing an uproar in Quebec, the selection of the young man was judged harshly by Bettman, who was then declared “stunned” by the decision of the CH.
We can believe that the odds of the CH were not very high in the offices of the NHL last summer. Molson would do well to improve his relationship with the commissioner, if only to maintain his influence in circuit affairs.
While Bettman is thrilled with Gorton’s hiring, Molson certainly won’t complain. And the future bilingual CEO should not have too many illusions about his real power.
Having said that, I applaud Molson’s decision to do this sweeping. The president of the team cast a wide net.
The departure of Marc Bergevin, linked to the poor performance of the team in recent years, shows that he was not fooled by the miracles of Carey Price during the last playoffs. The first two months of the season reminded us how fragile the building is.
Molson was also blunt about Trevor Timmins’ disappointing job. The surprise is not his firing, but rather that it has not happened before. Patrick Roy is right to say that Bergevin was in part a victim of his loyalty to him.
Paul Wilson was also fined. I do not recall a case where the head of media relations was swept away by such a sweep. Molson wanted the Canadiens to communicate in a more airy way, and that was not done. The scope of this reference should not be minimized. The whole of the CH Group has made some mistakes in this regard in recent months. The time is ripe for implementing a new approach.
I wish to be surprised. I hope that the future bilingual DG will occupy the place that is promised to him. I wish he wasn’t just Gorton’s assistant or, worse yet, his megaphone.
I wish Gorton didn’t think he was invested with all the powers and really works in collegiality. I want him to learn the basics of French from his first few months on the job. I want him to discover the plurality of Montreal. Look, I even want him to eat one day in a restaurant in Rosemont, Plateau Mont-Royal or Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
I also wish, for all CH fans, that the duo that he will form with the future bilingual DG will be successful.
I wish all of this… but my expectations are low. And I can’t help but regret the end of an era, when the Canadiens’ main hockey leader spoke French.