Quebec Premier Legault creates committee to increase number of Quebec-born players on Canadiens
Call me crazy... but that doesn't sound like a politician's job.
HockeyFeed
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has announced that his government has created and funded a committee that will attempt to increase the number of Quebec born players in the NHL and on the Montreal Canadiens' roster.
The Premier has been adamant since the start of this season that the number of french-speaking, Quebec born players in the NHL needs to improve and... evidently he feels like it's his job to make it so. You may recall that during the Premier was outraged last Spring when Habs players Filip Danault and Jonathan Drouin were out of the team's lineup, forcing them to dress a roster without a single Quebecer for the first time in team history. Last month he stated that he has a plan to "improve the future" of hockey for Quebecers.
Call me crazy, but shouldn't he be more interested in improving life in general for Quebecers? Let hockey take care of itself and maybe take care of your constituents? Is that a crazy idea in 2021 now?
In any case, Legault announced earlier today that he has created a 15 person committee that is focused on the "revival and renaissance of hockey" in Quebec. What this means exactly though is lost on this reporter...For the record there are currently 44 Quebec born players in the NHL. The Habs have five of them currently on their roster and have had three of them formerly on their roster, meaning that they've had 20% of all Quebec born NHLers on their team all within the past season.
The committee is comprised of mostly former high level Quebec born players and executives, headed up by former NHL goaltender turned RDS analyst Marc Denis. Joining Denis are former Habs goaltender Jocelyn Thibault, former Habs winger Guillaume Latendresse, retired women's hockey star Caroline Ouellet and Hockey Hall of Famer Kim St. Pierre.
“Hockey is more than a sport in Quebec, it is part of our identity, our pride, and also part of our pleasures in life, ” said Legault in French. “Thanks to the creation of this committee, we hope to relaunch the development of hockey in Quebec. I hope we can witness the birth of Quebec hockey. This is how Quebec will once again become a powerhouse in hockey.”
For the record there are currently 44 Quebec born players in the NHL. The Habs have five of them currently on their roster and have had three of them formerly on their roster, meaning that they've had 20% of all Quebec born NHLers on their team all within the past season.
For the full announcement (en Francais) click the link below:
