Unilingual English-speaking hockey coaches have not always been popular in Montreal. Just think of Randy Cunneyworth. However, this is the challenge that the new professional women’s team in the metropolis is embarking on.
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Presented to the media for the first time on Friday, Kori Cheverie expected questions on the subject.
“I knew it would come!” I don’t speak French, but I work there. I said this sentence to some friends recently: “can I sharpen my pencil?” Apparently it won’t be of any use to me! »
Indeed, these words will be of no use to him. At least, the 36-year-old Nova Scotian can count on a general director, Danièle Sauvageau, perfectly bilingual who wishes to guide her in learning the country’s other official language.
“It was important to me to know if she intended to put in the time and effort to learn [le français]. Her answer was yes,” said Sauvageau during a videoconference organized by the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
“She doesn’t tick all the boxes, but French is something that can be learned and we intend to supervise it so that it happens as quickly as possible,” continued Sauvageau.
During team meetings in recent weeks, some discussions have switched from English to French.
” She [Cheverie] looked at us with big eyes and said: ‘this is why I must respect the people around me,’” said the DG, who assures that the training will be representative of Montreal’s diversity.
Competent
Above all, Sauvageau wanted to hire someone competent for this position. Cheverie played as a forward at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, an aspect the GM was keen on, before playing in the now defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League in Toronto. She then jumped behind the bench of different teams, both men’s and women’s, climbing the ranks at Hockey Canada. She was also an assistant during the last Olympic Games in Beijing. Cheverie was also an assistant during the Rivalry Series against the United States last winter, notably in Trois-Rivières and Laval.
“We had the opportunity to talk during the last season when she worked with the Professional Players Association,” recalled Sauvageau. We found ourselves behind the bench several times [avec l’équipe de Marie-Philip Poulin et Ann-Renée Desbiens]. I was able to learn how Kori thinks during a match, how she looks at it, see all her ability to find solutions. »
“We didn’t agree on everything, and I think that’s important, because we’re able to see what works best for the group and what will allow us to be successful,” underlined Cheverie, who will be able to continue her association with Hockey Canada as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins, as a guest coach.
The word in p…
Unlike the Canadian organization, the CEO and coach of the women’s club, whose name has not yet been revealed, are not afraid to talk about their objective.
As a reminder, during the CH golf tournament at the start of the week, no one dared to talk about “playoffs” (eliminatory series).
“Danièle and I are very competitive, we want people who want to win in Montreal. If we manage to have the right players with the right skills, we will be able to position ourselves well. I don’t think we should be embarrassed to say that we want to win the league championship. It’s just normal,” Cheverie said.
“That’s the goal, period,” added Sauvageau, smirking.
Both women will now focus on the 15-round repechage which takes place on Monday in Toronto. They will be able to choose from a list of 268 players mainly from the United States and Canada. Montreal will speak in the sixth and last row in the initial round, then will have first speaking rights for the second round. Then, Sauvageau will be able to announce the rest of his staff. She has already received several CVs
Here are the other Professional Women’s Hockey League coaches named Friday:
Boston: Courtney Kessel
Minnesota: Charlie Burggraf
New York: Howie Draper
Ottawa: Carla MacLeod
Toronto: Troy Ryan