The death of Quebec hockey?

[MikeGrier99]

Quebec was for the longest time as good as anywhere in the world at producing hockey players. Among the provinces today, Saskatchewan and Manitoba produce NHLers at the best rate compared to their populations, while Quebec and the Maritime Provinces are the worst. Ontario pulls a bit above it's weight and Alberta and BC are about proportional to their populations.

Number of Players from the Provinces in the 2017/2018 Season:

Ontario (13.6 Million People) = 37.5% of Canada's Population
162 Players = 45.5% of Canadian NHLers

Quebec (8.25 Million People) = 22.7% of Canada's Population
46 Players = 12.9% of Canadian NHLers

BC (4.6 Million People) = 12.7% of Canada's Population
42 Players = 11.7% of Canadian NHLers

Alberta (4.1 Million People) = 11.3% of Canada's Population
42 Players = 11.7% of Canadian NHLers

Saskatchewan (1.1 Million People) = 3% of Canada's Population
28 Players = 7.8% of Canadian NHLers

Manitoba (1.2 Million People) = 3.3% of Canada's Population
27 Players = 7.5% of Canadian NHLers

Maritime Provinces (1.8 Million People) = 4.9% of Canada's Population
9 Players = 2.5% of Canadian NHLers

 

[RRenegade]

You would think that scouting would have a negative impact on Quebec hockey players as well. I don't have stats to back it up but I am quite sure that few Quebecers are being scouted out of US college programs or USHL whereas a lot of Ontario kids are in those leagues, being scouted & drafted (Hence ON's higher percentages). (Language would likely be an issue)
PS. glad to see MB & SK more than holding their own!

 

[dannyfinn22]

So NHL.com added some new filters.

I noticed that only 49 QC skaters were in the NHL last season, and only 10 had 30 points or more (this is F and D).

The leading scorer was Droiun and none had 60 + points.

Are we seeing the nail in the coffin for hockey in Quebec? Where are the Quebec superstars the Lafelurs/Lemuiex/Beliveau/Robitailles ?

I remember when the stereotype of a Quebec hockey player was high flying and high scoring, is that over with?

Is hockey to expensive for kids? Is Quebec hockey failing to develop the talent they do have?

Is this an over reaction or are we going to see even fewer QC kids making an impact in the NHL. Keep in mind the less QC stars they are the less kids will be attracted to emulate them and get into hockey which creates a downward cycle of fewer QC hockey players.

 

[dannyfinn22]

As an American Hab's fan for over 40 years, I remember when Patrick Roy arrived and starred here for Les Habitants. From that moment on, many young French Canadiens (from what I remember) decided they too wanted to play the position of goaltender, emulating the Great Roy..I know that isn't the entire story of Hockey Quebecois, but it sure had an influence. Like some posters also wrote, many simply went into other sports and other fields Nice article

 

[SquiddFX]

The costs is definitely a large reason. Registration fees, team fees, equipment. Together is easily a couple grand investment and that's not including travel and time. And that's just basic level (A,B,C), I couldn't imagine cost when it comes to double letters and up. It's an expensive sport to play.

Another issue, mostly from my own experience, is how political hockey is. From house league up. That's one of the reasons why I stopped playing. I was never a superstar but politics and other things killed my joy for playing. So I started to help coach my younger brother's team when he played organized hockey. Currently I've moved over to Ball Hockey which I enjoy.

 

[dinodebino]

Great question! Many answers. But most common answers amongst parents are: cost (while Québec is one of the poorest provinces in revenue per capita), parents' rejection of hockey's very intense beat (practices+games+tourneys), and kids' growing interest in individual winter sports. Quebecers are known to be more of the individualistic style.

 

[RealityBytes]

You can lay some of the blame Hockey Canada and their rules regarding player transfers.

I live in a small town in Quebec right on the border of Ontario. Our assossiation plays against teams in Ontario because the travel time would be insane to try and play within the Quebec league. The area is all small towns seperated by large distances.

My son is at least a AA player and a bubble AAA. Could develop into a great AAA with some time on competitive teams. Yet he can't get a release to play in Ontario, where the AA and AAA teams are. Because we are the "basin" for a Quebec city that's about 3 hours away. So, instead of trying out for, and eventually playing for a competitive team that's 40 mins away (in Ontario) , he would have to play for a team that's 3 hours away (in Quebec). Which means he would have to move (he's 11 years old).

Not gonna happen. I would never send my kid away to strangers at such a young age. So, he languishes in house league hockey where he stands out as a super star but hates the fact that no team mate can keep up to the play or handle a pass he gives or give a good pass.

My son loves this sport so much. He has been weight training for a year now and runs almost everyday. This summer he kept bugging me to get into more and more hockey schools (had more ice time in summer hockey schools than during the actual hockey season lol). It got so bad that I had to sit down with him and try to see if he was feeling pressured (by me or his mom) to be the best or whatever. Nope. He really, really loves hockey and wants to be as good as possble. I even told him I'm ok with him quittting hockey and just Olympic lifting (that's his weight training) or even quiting both. He answered he does that and runs all for hockey. To be stronger and have more stamina.

Totally dedicacted to hockey. He has the drive, the skill and is super fast on skates. I make enough money that AAA hockey fees wouldn't even be an issue. And yet we can't get a release to play nearby because we "belong" to the competitive teams that are hours away. Screw you Hockey Canada. My son will eventually get tired of house league hockey and go on to do well in another sport. I can't wait for that day.

I'm not saying he would make the NHL or even the junior leagues later on. But he is just one of many great young players, who are dedicated to hockey but can't get a chance to play competitively.

Are you sure it is just Hockey Canada that is the problem? Usually the release has to come from the team/league that "owns" him, in this case local region in Quebec or Hockey Quebec itself. Once they give it, usually Hockey Canada and Hockey Ontario is OK with it.

What you could try is appealing to both the local Quebec region (whichever one of the 14 it is) and the Federation de Hockey sur Glace du Quebec. It's most likely it's one of them holding it up. Then again, you probably did this already.

Having politics interfering in the handling of an 11 year old's future is just such crap. They need to be more compassionate and flexible in these type of situations.

 

[Price is Wright]

Several factors, but number one is it's a rich man's game. Used to just be travel costs and equipment costs. Now it's travel, equipment featuring $200 toothpick sticks that shatter easy, comprehensive training programs and diets for pre-teens, and the dreaded summer camps where you spend a couple grand so some former NHLer can pass your name to another former NHLer who might eventually coach a junior team to take another look at you. That's if you're good.

I know of a kid in the OHL right now who goes to school, plays OHL hockey, and on his off time has to work a job to pay off debts because the guy pays for his training and camps. He also gets equipment if needed but he has to make up the hours. If he doesn't burn out by 18 he's a better man than me.

 

[Roadhouse]

parents' rejection of hockey's very intense beat (practices+games+tourneys)

I can't help but think that most of those 10 to 13 year olds' parents are not old enough to remember the 80's Habs (including myself, born in 85 and barely remember the excitement of 1993). The parents that supported the 90's and 00's kids financially probably had varying degrees of emotional involvement given the remote but oh-so-awesome feeling of having their boy play for the Sainte Flanelle. Maybe not so much in this decade, partially because the Habs have sucked for so long.

 

[boompuffboom]

sonuvabitch, those numbers are crazy =(

i imagine some of it has to do with how meaningless the habs have been in the past 20+ years

 

[Scintillating10]

Kids growing up in Quebec don't have any local hockey heroes. Main reason for falloff. Nordiques gone and Habs 25 years from a Cup.

After Patrick Roy's heroics the QMJHL for awhile there was known as goaltending factory. Marty Broduer, Giguere, Theodore and those guys. When we were kids in 70s everybody wanted to be either Beliveau or Cournoyer. Not the case anymore.

 

[scrubadam]

Kids growing up in Quebec don't have any local hockey heroes. Main reason for falloff. Nordiques gone and Habs 25 years from a Cup.

After Patrick Roy's heroics the QMJHL for awhile there was known as goaltending factory. Marty Broduer, Giguere, Theodore and those guys. When we were kids in 70s everybody wanted to be either Beliveau or Cournoyer. Not the case anymore.

Kinda creates a catch 22 though. No one to look up to, so less better QC stars, which creates a new generation of fewer players to look up to. Its a cycle. I can't imagine many QC kids looking up to Huberdau or JD as much as back in the day looking up to a guy like Lemeuix or Richard or Roy/Brodeur or Bourque or Robitaille.

But I reading these responses it seems like Hockey QC is just not developing local kids to be elite level talents in the NHL. Is there a QC player who would be top 5 at their position? Maybe Letang. That's pretty much all I can think of.

 

[Price is Wright]

Is there a QC player who would be top 5 at their position? Maybe Letang. That's pretty much all I can think of.

Giroux arguably a few years back was a top centre. Bergeron was one of the best players in the league for years as a two way centre.

It'll be interesting who develops between Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield. Both have potential in being the first overall pick in 2020. Lafreniere is already in the QMJHL, Byfield one year away. Lafreniere could be special.

 

[SquiddFX]

Only thing is Giroux is from Ontario. He was a QMJHL star and he speaks french but he isn't a "gars chez nous" so to speak.

 

[CoupeStanley]

I am not sure Quebec ever had a great hockey program per say... what it used to have is the best and most used outdoor hockey rinks in the world. That's where the flying frenchman were built.

 

[nhlfan9191]

It’s likely a dry spell. That and we’re seeing a lot of competition from new areas that have grown over the years. I think we’ll see some strong talent coming from Quebec again. There’s very good developmental systems for kids in that part of the country.

 

[lo striver]

I am not sure Quebec ever had a great hockey program per say... what it used to have is the best and most used outdoor hockey rinks in the world. That's where the flying frenchman were built.

True. Warmer winters made outdor hockey season much shorter comparing to the 20th century.

 

[SquiddFX]

True. Warmer winters made outdor hockey season much shorter comparing to the 20th century.

Not just that but lack of public funding has had an affect as well. When I was young the borough I live in used to build a rink behind my house every winter. They stopped about 15ish years ago.

 

[Not The One]

Lots of good answers already:

• Cost and time of practising the sport
• Newer and safer sports, plus the rise of the internet and console gaming
• Nordiques left, Habs not as dominating
• Free agency means fewer emotional ties to heroes and role-models
• QMJHL has more spots for players from maritimes and europe
• Less francophones in the NHL, so integration is even harder

As a parent between school, family life and other activities (karate, swimming, music) we have so little free time as it is, so there is no way I'm going through the grind of early morning practices, games and tournaments, plus all that equipment to buy...

 

[DangerDave]

Quebec was for the longest time as good as anywhere in the world at producing hockey players. Among the provinces today, Saskatchewan and Manitoba produce NHLers at the best rate compared to their populations, while Quebec and the Maritime Provinces are the worst. Ontario pulls a bit above it's weight and Alberta and BC are about proportional to their populations.

Number of Players from the Provinces in the 2017/2018 Season:

Ontario (13.6 Million People) = 37.5% of Canada's Population
162 Players = 45.5% of Canadian NHLers

Quebec (8.25 Million People) = 22.7% of Canada's Population
46 Players = 12.9% of Canadian NHLers

BC (4.6 Million People) = 12.7% of Canada's Population
42 Players = 11.7% of Canadian NHLers

Alberta (4.1 Million People) = 11.3% of Canada's Population
42 Players = 11.7% of Canadian NHLers

Saskatchewan (1.1 Million People) = 3% of Canada's Population
28 Players = 7.8% of Canadian NHLers

Manitoba (1.2 Million People) = 3.3% of Canada's Population
27 Players = 7.5% of Canadian NHLers

Maritime Provinces (1.8 Million People) = 4.9% of Canada's Population
9 Players = 2.5% of Canadian NHLers

Thanks for this. It looks like Quebec isn't too far off the other provinces. Ontario is a powerhouse obviously. It always has been. Quebec has a lot of immigrants too which could explain why provinces like Alberta, with lower population, can compete.

Quebec still produces quality players. It may be a down year for them when you compare it to 10 years ago but I still think QC will rebound eventually. Maybe a team in QC will reignite the passion. Laval being the habs AHL team should help a bit.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Hockey in QC has been declining for many years no thanks to Hockey Quebec, politics, and $$. I have seen many times where the wealthy buy there way into the AAA teams, average player named Smith will never get selected if competeing against an average player named Fortin. This is reality which has gone on for years and have turned off alot of parents and kids from high level hockey.

And no matter what hockey QC says, they do not care about schooling, period.

For the past 5 years or so, the majority of the talented kids are leaving to the US and Hockey QC has done absolultey nothing to ask why they are leaving.

My last rant - if Hockey Canada actually cared about hockey, they would be promoting the hell out of our University hockey program in order for kids to stay hear and not go into Div 1 schools. At the end of the season, make a big splash by televisin the playoff winner of Canada playing the winner of the Frozen 4.

This is the opposite of being true. French players are stigmatized anywhere but in Qc. The problem is not that hockey quebec selects quebecers over english named talents, sorry. Nice try blaming it on them though. I have an english name, it affected my standing in the locker room, but if you have talent you'll make teams.

 

[Giacomo]

Might have to do with the fact that the HABS have been irrelevant for the past 25 years.

that should have nothing to do with it. Other teams also pick QC players

 

[Giacomo]

I would have to agree with one of the above posts that us teams have gained popularity in recent years

 

[Giacomo]

I would have to agree with one of the above posts that us teams have gained popularity in recent years

when I say us I mean USA

 

[MaxDummy]

Easy. Hockey is a rich man game. That’s the root of all those problems.

My friend was easily AA level but he had to stop because of $$$. Dad was a mechanic, mom had a desk job. He 99% wasnt gonna be an nhler but you never know.