TORONTO | For the second year in a row, there will be no players from Quebec at the National Hockey League (NHL) All-Star Game in Toronto on Saturday. Sad observation, then, that the sky map doesn't indicate anything very bright in the near future.
Quebec was not represented at the All-Star Classic in Florida last year. It was a first in history. Even Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins wasn't invited. There was his coach, Jim Montgomery, a native of Montreal, but not the least of players. This scenario is repeating itself this year.
Montrealer Jim Montgomery, head coach of the Boston Bruins, was surrounded by Linus Ullmark and David Pastrnak during the 2023 All-Star Game in Sunrise, Florida. Photo Bruce Bennett/Getty Images via AFP
Luckily, Marie-Philip Poulin and Ann-Renée Desbiens will be at the Women's Professional Hockey League 3-on-3 demonstration at the Scotiabank Arena on Thursday evening.
“Of course that’s not what you want. They want Quebecers to get through all this and we hope that happens again in the coming years,” commented Poulin.
“It's a little worrying, we see that hockey in Quebec is having a little more trouble producing impactful players,” Desbiens said, pointing to a particularly alarming situation in front of the net.
Jonathan Huberdeau represented the Florida Panthers in the 2022 All-Star Game in Las Vegas. Photo Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
Bergeron is one of the Quebecers who will be the youngest in the NHL constellation in 2022. Jonathan Huberdeau was also there for the Florida Panthers, as was Jonathan Marchessault from the Golden Knights, who was urgently invited during the game presentation in Las Vegas.
A sad sequence
The fact that there are no Quebecers at the All-Star Game for the second year in a row is worrying, even absurd. However, this sad phase may continue as we struggle to identify a Quebec hockey player who could currently represent his team or in the coming years.
You have to admit that Quebec is no longer a powerhouse in hockey. Bergeron is retired, while Huberdeau has slowed down since arriving with the Calgary Flames, who are sending Swedish forward Elias Lindholm instead to Toronto this year.
In Marchessault's case, it should be remembered that he won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the playoffs in 2023. However, his teammate Jack Eichel was preferred for the next All-Star Game.
Jonathan Marchessault, during the skills competition on the sidelines of the 2022 NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas. Photo Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
Although he still impresses at 36 years old, veteran defenseman Kristopher Letang logically gives way to the indispensable Sidney Crosby, who represents the Pittsburgh Penguins in the annual classic for the sixth time.
Sculpin? Dubois? Lafreniere?
As for the youngest Quebecers: defenseman Thomas Chabot of the Ottawa Senators and forward Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Los Angeles Kings still have good years ahead of them. But could they represent their respective teams at the All-Star Game in the future?
Chabot, now 26 years old, competed in 2019, but that was before the emergence of Brady Tkachuk with the Senators.
Thomas Chabot took part in the skills competition in 2019 as part of the All-Star Game presented in San Jose. Photo Bruce Bennett/Getty Images/AFP
Since the selection of Dubois, third overall in the 2016 draft, only one Quebecer has been named in the top 16 of an auction. It was obviously Alexis Lafrenière, the New York Rangers' first overall pick in 2020. Despite obvious progress, he still appears to be a long way from playing in an All-Star Game on a team that features Russians Artemi Panarin and Igor Shesterkin.
The Descent of the Quebec Guards
Shesterkin, one of the NHL's best goaltenders, will travel to Toronto to play for the Rangers in February. This is a reminder that the era in which Quebec dominated Cerberus is over. A little over 20 years ago, in 2003, Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Patrick Lalime and Jocelyn Thibault were all invited to the 53rd All-Star Game in Florida.
“When you look at the youngest generation, you wonder where the Quebec goalkeepers have gone,” notes Ann-Renée Desbiens herself. We have to ask ourselves what has changed and how we can improve. It makes me proud to represent Quebec and the more representatives we have, the better.”
Marc-André Fleury has played in the All-Star Game four times, including in Tampa in 2018. Photo Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images / AFP
Since then, Marc-André Fleury, perhaps the last bastion among Quebec's great goalkeepers, has been among the Stars four times, in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2019. Roberto Luongo was nominated five times between 2004 and 2016.
Bet on Martin St-Louis…
For the Montreal Canadiens, Samuel Montembeault is in a ménage a trois as the number one man in front of the net, but an All-Star Game appearance in the future would be an amazing feat. Quebec defenseman Mike Matheson could have been a more plausible choice this season, but captain Nick Suzuki remains the lucky one.
The last Quebec player to represent the Canadians at the All-Star Game? José Théodore in 2004. Michel Therrien was elected coach of the Atlantic section in 2017.
Michel Therrien was head coach of the Montreal Canadiens when he attended the 2017 All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Photo Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images/AFP
Furthermore, the next CH representative in Quebec could one day be Martin St-Louis. Who knows? This may be your best choice. Here too the chances seem slim.
QUEBEC PLAYERS IN THE ALL-STAR GAME IN RECENT YEARS
- 2024: none
- 2023: none
- 2022: Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins), Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers) and Jonathan Marchessault*(Vegas Golden Knights)
- 2021: CANCELLATION DUE TO THE PANDEMIC
- 2020: Anthony Duclair (Ottawa Senators), Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers)
- *Emergency guest