Vincent Damphousse comes from Anjou. He played 19 years in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with the Canadiens 30 years ago.
He is the father of three boys who, like their father, enjoy playing hockey. Denver is in his third year of high school in the United States. Before that, at the age of 14, he played for a team in Buffalo coached by former Canadian captain Brian Gionta. Theo was drafted into the Boisbriand Armada. The last, Xavier, attends the Collège Sainte-Anne. Vincent was an assistant coach for his sons’ teams until the pee category.
He has great respect for his parents, who made so many financial sacrifices to enable him to attend a private college, not to mention providing him with the best possible sports facilities. They attended games and prepared meals. They were constantly there to help him.
Before you talk about your youth, tell me about your Stanley Cup in 1993.
An unforgettable year because in August 1992 I was traded to the Canadiens. My childhood dream had just come true.
Tell me about Jacques Demers and Serge Savard.
I am so sad about Jacques’ health. He is an incredible person who knew how to get the best out of me. While Serge Savard is an exceptional general manager.
Her father is the last of a family of 21 children.
My father Yvon is the only one in his family to have completed his classical studies. He was always there for me. Professionally, he was director of equipment for the Jérôme-Le Royer school board.
Your mother, Suzanne, was a teacher.
She was an avant-garde teacher because, among other things, she gave French lessons to newcomers. She introduced me to the beauty of music, but could not convince me to play the piano.
You have become a fan of the painter Normand Hudon.
My mother introduced me to the paintings of Normand Hudon and understood them. Today I have paintings by Normand Hudon at home.
Punctuality and accuracy are part of your life.
It was my father who gave me these two aspects of life. He made me realize the importance of being well organized and structured in order to overcome the challenges that awaited me.
You had a whole pee-wee hockey team.
My brother Martin was one of the best on the team and one of my teammates was Luc Robitaille. Every winter my dad made sure we had an ice rink in our backyard.
You traveled across Canada with your grandparents in a Winnebago.
My brother was 11 and I was barely 9. What an amazing experience as we traveled all over Canada over a two month period! Later we went camping with our parents everywhere, including in Gaspésie.
They played 45 holes of golf every day.
My grandparents lived in East Angus and we took the opportunity to play 45 holes while staying at their house for a few days.
They took part in the Quebec Games.
It was such a beautiful life experience for me. The exchange with athletes from other sports was great. By the way, Rodger, I know you think I played hockey in the Quebec games. However, the other sport that I really like is summer sports. I was part of the badminton team in the Bourassa region.
A mentor for you.
Claude Therrien, my trainer at Midget AAA Training. He prepared me for professional sports. His intensive training, which took place only twice a week, allowed me to improve my skating and my vision of the game.
You attended the Collège des Eudistes.
Today the college is called Collège Jean-Eudes. I enjoyed my time at college because I was able to learn to combine sport and studies. I played hockey and badminton. Summer was tennis, soccer and baseball.
What was your first job?
When I was 16, I worked for Arsenault Transport. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. I hauled boxes because I was the third man on the truck.
They were drafted by Laval in the junior ranks.
There was a possibility that I would be selected by a team in the Montreal area. That was my wish because I wanted to continue my studies at college. In the end it was Laval who chose me. I was able to complete my studies in Montreal.
Your teammate is Mario Lemieux.
What a wonderful teammate for a young player! He taught me how to deal with pressure on the ice and with the media. At this time, Marc Lachapelle of the Journal de Montréal was a regular in our entourage.
At 18 you lost control of your life.
It was the NHL draft. My life was decided by people who didn’t know me. Her only goal was to improve her team. I had no choice, I had to live in cities I didn’t know.
You didn’t speak English.
On Friday evening, the day before the NHL Draft in Montreal, my agent Pierre Lacroix and I were invited to a meeting with Scotty Bowman and his group of Buffalo Sabers scouts. I didn’t speak English and understood it even less well. I don’t think I impressed him all that much because he picked me right before Toronto picked me sixth overall.
Why are Guy Lafleur and your brother your idols?
My brother Martin has always inspired me to achieve excellence, both at school and in sports. It was very important to him that we always do our best.
And Guy Lafleur?
He taught me the role a Canadiens player must play in Quebec society. To be close to our supporters and, above all, to be proud to be part of the big Canadian family. Just like Guy, I was a Canadian ambassador today.