Non-french named players that speak french in the NHL

[Erika]

Todd White, Torrey Mitchell & Duncan Keith to name a few...

 

[deandebean]

Gudbranson is from Orléans. Not Orleans. I work in Orléans and people here are mostly bilingual. The franco-ontarian community is huge in these parts.

As for Toews, he's as french as me. His mother insists that his name is not Jonathin, but Jonathan (french pronunciation). He speaks french. He's perfectly bilingual. In fact, I notice a small french accent when he speaks english.

Steve Penney, for me, was a revelation. The first time I saw him with the Habs, I was sure he was an anglo. The guy wasn't even close to being an anglo!

Alexandre Burrows is another one. I should have known since his name is Alexandre, not Alexander.

 

[deandebean]

Mark Streit

Che veux Chouer.

 

[Mike Mike Caron]

Derek Roy is french from his father.

 

[deandebean]

Derek Roy is french from his father.

Yep, he comes from a very franco-ontarian environment.

 

[toshiro]

Many parents out west place their children in French Immersion in school. My neices were able to go to university in France after high school. One would think there would be more hockey players go through French Immersion.

 

[yanokovich]

Tom kostopoulos

 

[LyricalLyricist]

Whenever I start speaking French, the person serving me usually just starts speaking English. I'm good at vocabulary, but not so good with the accent lol.

LOL, yah, sometimes happens to me. I get annoyed. Sometimes I call to make an order for pizza and it's like:

Girl: *restaurant name*, bonjour
Me: Bonjour, j'aimerais faire un commande.
Girl: Sur quelle non?
Me: (saying my own name with an english accent)
Girl: Okay, what's the order?


I guess i'm used to saying my own name with that english accent I can't say it in french right. It usually ALWAYS gives me away. This same girl caught me at least 10 times and I have no clue who she is. Sometimes I hear her voice and see if she'll catch me after I say my name, and I always end up facepalming cuz I never win.

 

[CoupeStanley]

LOL, yah, sometimes happens to me. I get annoyed. Sometimes I call to make an order for pizza and it's like:

Girl: *restaurant name*, bonjour
Me: Bonjour, j'aimerais faire un commande.
Girl: Sur quelle non?
Me: (saying my own name with an english accent)
Girl: Okay, what's the order?
.

If thats your level of french and you have an english accent, are you really surprised?

 

[katatoniak]

Yeah, you need to go like : bonjour, S'pour commander une pidzza

 

[jamz]

penalty = pénalisation
hat trick = tour de magie

 

[Dharvey33]

Che veux Chouer.

Hahaha that's one of the things i remember the most about streit, that and Che Choue mieux mieux.

Props to anyone trying to speak French when it's not your mother tongue it's a real pain to speak correctly hell more than 50 per cent of french canadians don't speak french well. Accent is normal everyone has got a accent.

Easily one of the toughest language to learn.

 

[dralaf]

If thats your level of french and you have an english accent, are you really surprised?

Maybe it’s the girl’s level? As a matter of fact, it would be an improvement compared to the pathetic knowledge of French showed by young québécois these days… Thanks to the wonderful “réforme scolaireâ€! When you’re reduce to use a simplified orthography in order to help students pass their French exams, you’re in deep ****!!!

 

[TheCanasianfrasian]

Toews, Burrows, Brad Richards

Burrows is 100% french québécois man

 

[Mathradio]

Saku Koivu.

He has had a lot of trouble trying to learn French despite all the years he spent as a Hab.

 

[TheCanasianfrasian]

He has had a lot of trouble trying to learn French despite all the years he spent as a Hab.

You need to turn on your sarcasm detector i think

 

[Mathradio]

I think more NHLers speak Spanish than NHLers that speak French, if only a little.

 

[ECWHSWI]

If thats your level of french and you have an english accent, are you really surprised?

it shouldnt be "level related", a customer speaks to you in french (or any other language), you know french, you awnser him in french. SHould be that simple.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Don't be too surprised by Gudbranson and Boyle, both grew up in Ottawa where most people speak both languages with at least some proficiency. Gudbranson, in particular, comes from a part of the city where more people speak French than don't and most as their first language.

 

[Booba]

Matthew Lombardi I guess.

Does Torrey Mitchell speak any french?

Corey Crawford?

Yes all the anglo-quebecers or quebecers with "foreign" names currently in the NHL speak french.

It seems pretty clear that Roberto Luongo, Mike Ribeiro and Alex Burrows got raised/educated in french.

The others probably have english as a first language but they speak decent french :
Matthew Lombardi
Torrey Mitchell
Jason Demers
*Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Angelo Esposito (Not in the NHL I know...)
Marco Scandella
Corey Crawford

*Vlasic has a french first name but his last name his croatian. I think it comes from his grand-parents or great parents. However, I saw him doing an interview at l'Anti-Chambre and he has a noticeable accent when he is speaking french. His french is really good though

There is also Anthony Stewart who is born in Lasalle, but I don't think he speaks french. He was probably raised in Ontario because his younger brother, Chris, is born in Toronto.

Also I don't remember if former NY Rangers goaltender, Dan Blackburn (born in Montreal), speaks french.

 

[LyricalLyricist]

If thats your level of french and you have an english accent, are you really surprised?

Well, I'm anglo and haven't really had to write french since 2004 so...you get a little rusty.

 

[mabisles]

Travis Hamonic

 

[ReppingMTL]

Toews is pretty solid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot0F566Zst4

BTW I tried my absolute hardest to embed that to no avail lol

 

[Et le But]

Travis Hamonic

That's actually interesting, I always assumed he was a stereotypical western Canadian farmboy.

 

[Price My Man Crush]

Moi.