Laurence Landry has had the opportunity to hear stories about the Pee Wee tournament since she was a child. The Sherbrooke Harfangs goalkeeper is the fourth member of her lineage to take part in the tournament, no less than… 62 years after her grandfather Bruno.
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To illustrate how long 62 years are in the tournament's storied history, when the camp's patriarch stepped onto the ice at the Colisée de Québec in 1962, the event was already in its third year.
The photo Mr. Landry keeps of his participation “is, of course, in black and white,” his son Alexandre jokes gently.
Photo provided by the Landry family
And this year, in addition to center Bruno Landry and his teammates who defended the honor of the Thetford Mines team, we also met the young Guy Lafleur, Marcel Dionne and Gilbert Perreault, who had no idea what time they would achieve posterity in this way .
“We weren’t in the same category but I remember how they drew crowds. We, our small team from Thetford, were really impressed!” says Mr Landry enthusiastically.
Not like the Gretzkys, but…
And before Laurence, his father Alexandre (a former Chicoutimi Saguenéens striker) played for the Sherbrooke Metropolitain in the 1993 tournament. His father Bruno then took over management.
Then Jérémy Landry, Laurence's older brother, played center for the Sherbrooke Phoenix, which had represented Triolet High School five years ago.
Photo provided by the Landry family
Laurence will be managed this year by Alexandre, who, like his father Bruno, will now have achieved a hat-trick of tournament appearances through participation as a player, as a close friend of a player and as a coach.
Photo provided by the Landry family
In short, it may be difficult to follow all of this, but what you need to understand more than anything is that the Pee-Wee Tournament is a big tradition in the friendly Landry family, who obviously love hockey. That's what runs through his veins.
“We still have nothing to do with the Gretzky brothers, but still!” jokes Bruno Landry, who, like his son, played in the QMJHL.
“It was my father who showed me everything and I try to emulate him, give back and show my children this beautiful sport,” adds Alexandre.
The famous song in the lead role
Alexandre doesn't just show his children ice hockey: the Harfangs coach also wanted Laurence and the other members of his team, who will be in action in the women's M13 class, to know the traditions of the tournament well.
Photo provided by the Landry family
As the players signed the famous victory and received their ticket to the event, Mr. Landry played the Pee Wee tournament theme song in the locker room.
Since then, Laurence has been thinking “Long live the carnival pee” over and over again.
Obviously the crowd
But what stands out most when speaking to all descendants is the extent to which certain unforgettable memories of the tournament transcend generations.
And no, the impression left by these impressive masses of several thousand spectators, which encourage young adolescents and which many are still talking about years later, is not exaggerated.
She's at the top of the top three Landrys when we ask them what stood out most to them in Quebec.
In 2019, Jérémy played all his games at the Videotron Center. In particular, on Saturday he faced “the two Quebecs”: the Remparts, who beat them in the morning, and then the Nordiques, to whom they lost in overtime, in the evening.
Photo provided by the Landry family
“There must have been 8,000 people in the stands. I still remember it like it was yesterday!” emphasizes the attacker, who now plays (like his grandfather in Pee-Wee) for Thetford Mines in the Quebec Collegiate Hockey League.
Pass the story on to teammates
The cheers from the crowd are also among the moments Laurence looks forward to when she jumps onto the ice at the Videotron Center for her first game.
A moment at which his whole family will of course be present.
The goalkeeper can't wait to see her teammates' reaction when they arrive at the tournament. She's also making sure her teammates understand that what they're about to experience in Quebec in February is special.
After all, it's hard to find a better person than her who can do that.