The death of Quebec hockey?

[Monsieur Miz]

I remember playing hockey as a kid and it was so boring. I was stuck on defence because the coaches had their kids on the team. One of them played goalie and the others were on offense. Basically all the kids on offense were there because they were friends with the coaches.

So I was on the defence with the other no-name kids. Coaches were super tryhard as well and people in the crowd were total assholes.

I had zero fun so I gave up and started playing baseball with the weird kids instead.

Actually I'm glad other sports are getting more traction in Quebec. Who cares if hockey isn't as popular as it used to be? It's like wrestling in the 90s, it's never going to reach that level of popularity again... let it go.

 

[admiralcadillac]

I wish the Quebec media would be more critical of this instead of just focusing on smaller picture items like number of players on the team from Quebec/management speaking French.

Habs should lead the way and initiate growing the game in Quebec and have front row seats in scouting everyone. They make so much money from Quebec and the way it's spent seems like just lining their own pockets. Assuming Quebec will just continue to support the Habs and love hockey without effort for growth is the lazy/cheap way. Smaller market teams like Tampa actually have to spend a portion of their budget to grow the game in their region.

I’m sorry but you can have both at the same time. I’m tired of hearing people here, many of whom are anglophone, complain that French speakers shouldn’t have a focus on the preservation of their language as if they can’t care about hockey and the linguistic context of the Province at the same time.

Furthermore, the argument that people in hockey here only care about language and don’t focus on hockey when they’ve devoted their life to hockey is absurd and idiotic.

 

[Kimota]

I remember playing hockey as a kid and it was so boring. I was stuck on defence because the coaches had their kids on the team. One of them played goalie and the others were on offense. Basically all the kids on offense were there because they were friends with the coaches.

So I was on the defence with the other no-name kids. Coaches were super tryhard as well and people in the crowd were total assholes.

I had zero fun so I gave up and started playing baseball with the weird kids instead.

Actually I'm glad other sports are getting more traction in Quebec. Who cares if hockey isn't as popular as it used to be? It's like wrestling in the 90s, it's never going to reach that level of popularity again... let it go.

Yea but wrestling not as big is a sad thing. Cause when it was great....it was great and it's bad to lose a good thing. My interest in wrestling is as great cause I love it but cannot watch it cause it's bad. What you suggest is giving up. Your issue is an example of how hockey should be changed and it should not be a "who you know". I have seen limited talent kids playing Elite 3 A with average talent because they knew people. In your case, I'm sure you would have enjoyed it more if all the kids would have had a chance to prove themselves. What they should do is rotate the kids at every positions every games.

 

[Heffyhoof]

The sport is very expensive, not even talking about equipment. Travel, hotels, the general fees for ice time... That said, probably finding some way to make powerskating fun, and help fund some more private hockey skills schools run by former NHLers.

 

[Wats]

I’m sorry but you can have both at the same time. I’m tired of hearing people here, many of whom are anglophone, complain that French speakers shouldn’t have a focus on the preservation of their language as if they can’t care about hockey and the linguistic context of the Province at the same time.

Furthermore, the argument that people in hockey here only care about language and don’t focus on hockey when they’ve devoted their life to hockey is absurd and idiotic.

Doesn't matter how tired you are, point is there isn't both. The outrage in the media is mostly about the roster and management. There should be much more about how the Habs are taking money from the people and not reinvesting into the community. If they did, they'd be actually preserving the skill/ability of French speakers in hockey and growing it. They can actually scout these future management/players and get them in the team.

Like I said, small picture issues are way easier look at. Lot less work to complain about Habs signing and already developed coach/GM/player.

 

[BargainBinSpecial]

This is definately an issue when it takes 48 hours to see a doctor in the emergency room. And off course Tiramisu is not french enough. I still don't remember when the word brochette replaced souvlaki from the menu. I better start ordering tartes aux tomates soon because the word pizza is offensive. However, when my shocks and tires cost me a fortune to repair, that's all seemingly fine. Ahh, taxes well spent. Quebec born francophone speaking players are a bigger priority when the Q is thriving. Then they claim they can't find workers or nobody wants to play for the Habs. They didn't even care to keep the Nordiques around, sovereignty was a more pressing issue but they spent 400 + million to build an arena for getting back a team. Guess what? The Nordiques are never coming back. Wake up people!!!!

 

[LeHab]

More Quebecers have played a game in the NHL this year vs Czech or Russians or any other province except Ontario

Look at per capita numbers and Quebec is lagging all other provinces listed there.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Le hockey pour oublier les CHSLD

« Quand on connaît comment fonctionne la politique 101, on réalise vite qu’un des objectifs de ce comité, et la visibilité donnée au premier ministre, est de distraire l’attention des gens et des médias du grand scandale des CHSLD. Je suis député de Marquette, et le scandale du CHSLD Herron est arrivé dans mon comté. Les proches des aînés morts attendent encore de connaître ce qui s’est passé. Les rapports des enquêteurs ont disparu, mais le scandale passe dans le beurre parce que François Legault parle de hockey », de dire Ciccone.

« Je considère que c’est une bonne chose de se pencher sur notre hockey. Mais je trouve curieux le moment et la façon de le faire. Un comité de 15 personnes, même si ce sont de très belles personnes sincères, avec un président qui voyage avec le Canadien et des gens qui vivront les congés des Fêtes, devrait remettre un rapport qu’on ne tablettera pas le 1er avril ? Sérieux ? »

« Alors qu’il faudra aller sur le terrain, discuter d’accessibilité, de coût pour les familles, de trouver la ligne entre participation et élite, qu’il faudra étudier comment fonctionnent des fédérations aussi efficaces que les fédérations suédoise ou finlandaise par exemple, sans avoir un chercheur universitaire, un membre de la diversité ou sans un seul autochtone au sein du comité ? »

 

[OnTheRun]

Look at per capita numbers and Quebec is lagging all other provinces listed there.

On the table you already have the numbers per registered players (more relevant than per capita, since not everyone play hockey). Still lagging behind but it's reasonable.

QC: 1705:1
ONT: 1260:1
AB: 1660:1
BC: 1567:1
SK: 1522:1
MB: 1036:1

But Sweden make everyone look clueless with 880:1

 

[Kriss E]

This is long overdue - hockey Quebec (and Hockey Canada, quite frankly) has been stuck in 90s hockey for too long. It's time to evolve and grow beyond this.

Frankly the Canadiens should have been investing in Hockey Quebec from a player to executive level for a long time, but they're too stupid.

I think Habs need to invest in this for sure, but where they really need to focus is creating a massive development team that start to work with prospects the moment they get drafted. Massive investment in that is a bigger priority imo.

 

[LeHab]

On the table you already have the numbers per registered players (more relevant than per capita, since not everyone play hockey). Still lagging behind but it's reasonable.

QC: 1705:1
ONT: 1260:1
AB: 1660:1
BC: 1567:1
SK: 1522:1
MB: 1036:1

But Sweden make everyone look clueless with 880:1

Both ratios are relevant. Need a large pool of registered players to develop pros. Would be interesting if more years were included to see trends over time.

How long before controversial technique of genetic testing as one of factors to screen for good potential becomes acceptable here? China is already testing domestic talent.

 

[Laurentide]

Even if we all agree that the state of amateur hockey in Quebec is in need of an overhaul I'm not sure why the provincial government needs to care about it or throw taxpayer money at it. After all, hockey isn't that important in the grand scheme of things and no one in Quebec really cares about how many NHL caliber players are produced in the province. What they care about are how many francophone players are wearing the CH, not how many are just in pro hockey and even then it's only a tiny minority who are directly impacted. I simply ail to see what role the government needs to have in any of this. It's not like Quebec doesn't have more pressing issues for the government to address. Last time I checked there were still homeless people, a lack of affordable housing, unemployment, underfunded schools, potholes...any or all of which are more important than making sure 10 year old Jean-Guy Patate develops into the Habs' first round pick in 8 years. Let the Habs spend their own money worrying about that stuff.

 

[Laurentide]

So now being born in Quebec is not enough. You have to be from a particular tribe. They have a word for that. If Marc Denis actually said that, then I've lost all f***ing respect for him.

Of course! The Legault-mon-Eggo government doesn't give a damn about developing the next Corey Crawford, Marco Scandella or Kevin Lowe. They're only interested in the next Phillipe Danault, the next David Desharnais and the next Cederic Paquette.

 

[Laurentide]

Government has already contributed more than enough by funding an Arena in QC. Private money for a franchise is not an issue but money is only one of several factors considered by NHL when assessing potential host cities for a franchise.

In 21st century pro sports ownership it doesn't matter what you pay for a franchise. What matters is how much you can sell it for and how long you have to hold on to it before you can flip it for that profit. Quebec is not a city where doing that is likely to work unless the team gets flipped to an owner who plans to relocate to a US city. There's no way a franchise that costs $1 billion Canadian is ever going to make a profit in a city like Quebec and it sure as hell won't be flipped for a profit to any buyer who would keep it there (or who could keep it there even if they wanted to) The math simply won't work.

 

[Laurentide]

You can develop all you want...the real issue will be trying to convince the STAR Quebec players to play in Montreal....life is pretty sweet down in Tampa for example

This. Even Quebec-born francophone players want nothing to do with the Habs or living in Quebec. Remember how Lecavalier moved heaven and earth to avoid being traded to the Habs? Sure, the scrubs like Paquette or Perreault are only too happy to play in Montreal but they're just happy playing anywhere. They are barely NHLers to begin with and will likely be flushed out of the league within 5 years. But elite players who can pick and choose where they play? They all want to be somewhere far, far away from Quebec.

 

[Laurentide]

Would it be wrong to point out Quebec businesses have been desperately lobbying the government to speed up process & increase number of immigrants being brought into province due to tremendous labor shortage …. all comes back to the root cause, an aging population demographic and not many young kids on the way

Its going to be hard for Quebec under those circumstances to magically increase the number of francophone players.

Consider too, that half of all marriages now end in divorce. It costs a small fortune to put a kid into hockey and the costs just escalate the further the kid progresses. Single parent households just don't have the scratch to pay the costs of elite level hockey development and consequently a lot of kids drop out of organized hockey at a young age simply because their parent(s) can't afford it.

 

[Laurentide]

Most immigrants are francophones. Like, Ramzi Abid wasn't an immigrant (though given his DOB, I'll venture to guess his parents were) but I don't see any way he wouldn't be considered a francophone player.

Because he isn't "pur laine" which is the only type of player that this particular provincial government would care about.

 

[Laurentide]

But there’s also the issue of immigrant parents who may not approve of the potential physical dangers of hockey etc.

BTW - this issue of bringing “other” players into hockey community is not an exclusive Quebec issue, it’s the biggest hurdle for the NHL. In the US there has been almost zero penetration into the inner city / minority communities even, which is why I suspect the NHL would be ecstatic w Matthews bolting Leafs for Yotes to drum up some enthusiasm within Latino community

In the US basketball and football are played at nearly every high school so it's possible for poor, inner city minority kids to play those sports. But hockey, for the most part, is only played in fancy-shmansy, lily white prep schools like Shattuck St. Mary's or Avon Old Farms, both of which, in addition to being difficult to get into academically, cost a fortune in tuition. Hockey is a sport of the privileged classes in the US.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Even if we all agree that the state of amateur hockey in Quebec is in need of an overhaul I'm not sure why the provincial government needs to care about it or throw taxpayer money at it. After all, hockey isn't that important in the grand scheme of things and no one in Quebec really cares about how many NHL caliber players are produced in the province. What they care about are how many francophone players are wearing the CH, not how many are just in pro hockey and even then it's only a tiny minority who are directly impacted. I simply ail to see what role the government needs to have in any of this. It's not like Quebec doesn't have more pressing issues for the government to address. Last time I checked there were still homeless people, a lack of affordable housing, unemployment, underfunded schools, potholes...any or all of which are more important than making sure 10 year old Jean-Guy Patate develops into the Habs' first round pick in 8 years. Let the Habs spend their own money worrying about that stuff.

Legault care cause spring 2022 is when well go to the voting booth again.

Its the panier bleu all over again, looks good but absolutely nothing will come out of it.

 

[Kanye East]

Quebec committee of the development of hockey in Quebec :

For the development of Quebec hockey players to improve sufficiently, it will be necessary to take the problem to the root by ensuring that better options are given to young people aged 17 and 18.

The chairman of this committee, former National League goalkeeper Marc Denis, presented the report's findings at a press conference. These revolve a lot around optimizing talent development, as 17-year-old players often find themselves in a gray area. Few young people of this age reach the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (LHJMQ).

Here's his solutions :

What do you think about these?

Side note* I want to congratulate the Habs board this year, because I haven't seen someone mentioning that we should draft a Québec born player with our first round pick (top 3). It feels weird seeing people's mentality finally growing up. (PS : sad that Facebook people commenting under TVA Sports posts doesn't do the same...)

Oh btw, here's my wish list for the draft :
1. Wright
2. Jiricek
3. Cooley
4. Nemec
5. Savoie
...
199 : Slafkovsky

 

[Kanye East]

Here's the article :

 

[Doc5]

Those are just a bunch of vague objectives, he doesn’t really highlight how he’ll achieve these. Definitely a big task ahead for them.

 

[Kanye East]

Those are just a bunch of vague objectives, he doesn’t really highlight how he’ll achieve these. Definitely a big task ahead for them.

Yeah big big task, I feel like there's less and less good Quebec hockey players in the chel... Someone should quote me with proofs or something but maybe I saw a chart about it not too long ago

 

[Justin11]

Quebec committee of the development of hockey in Quebec :

For the development of Quebec hockey players to improve sufficiently, it will be necessary to take the problem to the root by ensuring that better options are given to young people aged 17 and 18.

The chairman of this committee, former National League goalkeeper Marc Denis, presented the report's findings at a press conference. These revolve a lot around optimizing talent development, as 17-year-old players often find themselves in a gray area. Few young people of this age reach the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (LHJMQ).

Here's his solutions :
View attachment 541297

What do you think about these?

Side note* I want to congratulate the Habs board this year, because I haven't seen someone mentioning that we should draft a Québec born player with our first round pick (top 3). It feels weird seeing people's mentality finally growing up. (PS : sad that Facebook people commenting under TVA Sports posts doesn't do the same...)

Oh btw, here's my wish list for the draft :
1. Wright
2. Jiricek
3. Cooley
4. Nemec
5. Savoie
...
199 : Slafkovsky

I’m very happy that they are working to tackle the problem. It won’t change overnight, but hopefully we will see some results in the near future.

PS Just a wild guess here, Looks like you’re not a fan of Slafkovsky?

 

[Kanye East]

I’m very happy that they are working to tackle the problem. It won’t change overnight, but hopefully we will see some results in the near future.

PS Just a wild guess here, Looks like you’re not a fan of Slafkovsky?

I don't hate the guy haha, I just hate the idea of drafting him. He's the most risky pick among the top 10. Stats are ass, and he's not a wow player. I hate people hyping him up and creaming over him just because of a good Olympic run.