HF Habs: Quebec Hockey

[Justin11]

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.

I get it and there is a reason to be concerned to pick this « type » a player in the top 3.

BTW, I like your top 4 choices, I have them also in my top 4 but slightly in a different order.

 

[OnTheRun]

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...)

Pretty useless jab considering no one was asking to draft a Québec born player the last two time the Habs had a top3 pick.

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.

Well first, journalists decided to be a bunch of useless dildo today by only providing bullet points for a 50 pages report, somehow none of them thought it would be pertinent to provide a link to the official document --> https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-c...rt-comite-developpement-hockey.pdf?1651771514

The committee doesn't have the mandate to make it happen, it's up to to the sponsor of the committee (the government) to achieve these.

 

[DougHarvey]

How much did this waste of time cost the taxpayers ?

 

[salbutera]

Not sure where they will find $ in Quebec to upgrade infrastructure & implement programs - the reason the US system has improved so drastically over last 20+ years is the private $ that poured into hockey programs (poaching coaches, trainers from CHL) & infrastructure (arenas, training centers)

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

What's harder? Fixing the stadium roof or hockey Quebec?

 

[NotProkofievian]

ENDEQ

Equipe Nationale de Dévelopement et Entrainment du Quebec

 

[WeThreeKings]

ENDEQ

Equipe Nationale de Dévelopement et Entrainment du Quebec

That would bust them all. Idiot.

 

[Habs Icing]

What's harder? Fixing the stadium roof or hockey Quebec?

You forgot an option. Quebec roads.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

You forgot an option. Quebec roads.

That's just impossible.

 

[Kanye East]

That's just impossible.

As impossible as Leafs winning a round?

 

[LaP]

Develop skills not system.

As simple as that, Systems change over the years. They evolve. You can perfect them later. You can't learn to skate or shoot later anyway not to the level the best players in the world shoot or skate. The players coming out of quebec are good system players but skills wise they are lacking severely.

 

[1909]

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

Some of the best young athletes are adopting other sports. Plus, the low birth rate is catching up at every levels of the society.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Not my battle obviously, but from the outside this does seem like a wasteful and kinda pointless endeavor. It's good if something positive comes out of it I guess but historically the whole committee thing tends to end up going the long way just to state the obvious .

 

[dinodebino]

Very OT, because I can’t find a thread where this would go but Jocelyn Thibault is fed up as Hockey Québec’s GM; he is quitting. Says HQ is ran by a bunch of regional small kings who know shit. Ya think so!?!?! I could have told you that before you got in.

Hockey is dying in this province if ex-NHLers can’t turn the ship around. Because Monsieur Totonphil de St-Georges wants to control his kingdom.

Anyway, mods, you can put that post where it could belong. I just don’t know where it should go!

 

[Habs13]

Taking fighting out of the game in Quebec is also not going to help. I think if or when the Habs are good again, kids will regain interest, but right now its a hard product to give a shit about. Quebec lives and breathes hockey... when the Habs are good. The PWHL games all sell out.

 

[Gillings]

Don't you mean Kbech Hawkey?

 

[NicRattlehead]

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.

This may be a very American comment, if so apologies, but can’t you petition for a waiver somehow? In the U.S. people get waivers for things all the time. I didn’t want to play for soccer for the high school I was zoned for so I got an “academic” waiver to go to another the school that was a powerhouse in athletics. My Dad was friends with the school superintendent so he signed the waiver with no issues.

I would do everything I could to get my son in the best possible situation he could be. It sounds like you and your wife are really great parents and care about your son so I’m sure you already are doing everything you can but it is both a blessing and a shame that he has found something he is really passionate about but he can maximize his potential because of dumb/arbitrary zoning laws.

 

[NicRattlehead]

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.

It would be cool if the Canadian universities competed with the American ones.

I’m an American but visiting Canada is what made me love hockey. There is nowhere in the world that has more passion about the sport than Canada does. As a non-Canadian you feel it everywhere you go and when you talk with locals you can tell how passionate everyone is about the sport. It should be a big deal for Canadian universities as well.

 

[HuGort]

It certainly has changed in my 60 years. After the war I think the Rocket set the standard for hockey in Quebec. It was enhanced by Beliveau then those great '70s teams. The province was in love with hockey. But not so much today. iI think politics and money has changed the province.

Nova Scotia has most passion for game today. A small province but yet yields some of best players ie. Crosby, MacKinnon, Marchand, etc... Along with record crowds at WJC tourneys.

 

[salbutera]

It certainly has changed in my 60 years. After the war I think the Rocket set the standard for hockey in Quebec. It was enhanced by Beliveau then those great '70s teams. The province was in love with hockey. But not so much today. iI think politics and money has changed the province.

Nova Scotia has most passion for game today. A small province but yet yields some of best players ie. Crosby, MacKinnon, Marchand, etc... Along with record crowds at WJC tourneys.

The NHL game has evolved significantly, and skill development requires specialists - edgework, shooting, stickhandling, defensive positioning / board battles.

Hockey Quebec has been late to react to the changing game unlike Ontario or even out West. Then there is the $$$ involved in finding the specialists, and passing that cost down the food chain, with Quebec region having one of the lowest disposable incomes in the country, it’s just not a viable marriage

GTHL is likely the premier youth hockey league in the world, in a market that can afford it. It’s also why USA hockey has taken off over last 10+ years, there’s lots of $$$$ being poured in & a customer base willing to spend for services

There are two 10 year olds on my sons team, who’s fathers fly them in via private jet for their games - one from Cali, the other from Texas… don’t even get me started on the yearly cost to play

 

[HuGort]

The NHL game has evolved significantly, and skill development requires specialists - edgework, shooting, stickhandling, defensive positioning / board battles.

Hockey Quebec has been late to react to the changing game unlike Ontario or even out West. Then there is the $$$ involved in finding the specialists, and passing that cost down the food chain, with Quebec region having one of the lowest disposable incomes in the country, it’s just not a viable marriage

GTHL is likely the premier youth hockey league in the world, in a market that can afford it. It’s also why USA hockey has taken off over last 10+ years, there’s lots of $$$$ being poured in & a customer base willing to spend for services

There are two 10 year olds on my sons team, who’s fathers fly them in via private jet for their games - one from Cali, the other from Texas… don’t even get me started on the yearly cost to play

Don't seem like Quebec has same hockey passion. Patrick Roy, Claude Lemieux, Guy Charbonneau, Claude Provost, they had great passion for game. Don't see it as much. Bergeron probably last one.

Started with the Rocket. After the war Quebec was kind of cold shoulder by rest of Canada. That generation is gone now. Quebec was isolated with hockey and the church. Not much else back then. Along with long cold winters. Quebec developed a love for hockey. From '50s to '80s hockey and Roman Catholic church was Quebec main things. Politics and Rene Levesque weaken Montreal. Then money come around. Travel more common. Social media taken off. Its different world.

Talking to fans, I see that hockey passion in Nova Scotia area. I think because only sport they have. Since the Mooseheads been spike in hockey fever there. In last 30 years or so.

 

[GrizzLeaf]

This may be a very American comment, if so apologies, but can’t you petition for a waiver somehow? In the U.S. people get waivers for things all the time. I didn’t want to play for soccer for the high school I was zoned for so I got an “academic” waiver to go to another the school that was a powerhouse in athletics. My Dad was friends with the school superintendent so he signed the waiver with no issues.

I would do everything I could to get my son in the best possible situation he could be. It sounds like you and your wife are really great parents and care about your son so I’m sure you already are doing everything you can but it is both a blessing and a shame that he has found something he is really passionate about but he can maximize his potential because of dumb/arbitrary zoning laws.

We petitioned every season. At 14 he got fed up and quit. That season we were told he had to prove he was good enough to try out for aaa before he gets a waiver to tryout.

Pretty f***ed huh? Anyhow, it was the catalyst that encouraged him to quit. He went on to do jujitsu and compete in weight lifting.

He's 18 now training to be a pilot in the military at the RMC.

As a high acheiver I have no doubt he would have developed into a great hockey player in a competitive league.

 

[hvac412]

You forgot an option. Quebec roads.

I'll add another,Quebec's crazy bigoted language policies,

 

[salbutera]

We petitioned every season. At 14 he got fed up and quit. That season we were told he had to prove he was good enough to try out for aaa before he gets a waiver to tryout.

Pretty f***ed huh? Anyhow, it was the catalyst that encouraged him to quit. He went on to do jujitsu and compete in weight lifting.

He's 18 now training to be a pilot in the military at the RMC.

As a high acheiver I have no doubt he would have developed into a great hockey player in a competitive league.

Good for him - seems to be a very bright young man with strong guidance from his parents, so you all likely know this already: there is a huge shortfall of pilots, there was an over flux of pilots who took early retirement when Covid hit & airlines can’t find qualified pilots anywhere. These are major carriers in North America, Europe, Asia & Middle East.

Lufthansa & Air France have hundreds in pilot training, your son coming out RMC trained and flight hours on his resume in a few years will be a go to UFA.

 

[salbutera]

I'll add another,Quebec's crazy bigoted language policies,

All this Quebec bashing aside, keep in mind, change CAN happen & has happened in many countries, but there needs to be a willingness to accept things are not working & be open to new ideas.

The Scandinavians overhauled their hockey system in the early-mid 90s which led to the Sedins, Naslund, Zeterbeg era of ramp up.

USA Hockey closely studied what the Scandinavians did from a skill based process, and used 96 World Cup as a trampoline to get private funding for development of similar system in the US… we’ve started to see the fruits of the labor over last 10-15 years, and it’s only begun

I was hoping Jocelyn Thibeault, Marc Denis along w likes of Simon Gagne etc would lead Hockey Quebec out of the dark ages but as Dino alluded to the old boys network doesn’t seem to care enough to want it