A few dozen Remparts fans arrived at Jean-Lesage Airport early this morning to greet their champions and enjoy the Memorial Cup’s grand return to Quebec.
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It was just before 6:40 a.m. when the Remparts plane inbound from Kamloops landed on the ground. From behind a fence, the faithful shouted their pride as their heroes came out one by one.
Patrick Roy, who probably captained his final game in the overwhelming 5-0 Finals win over the Seattle Thunderbirds, waved to the fans and received hearty applause.
The joy was palpable when Justin Robidas emerged from the plane with the precious trophy, the symbol of Canadian youth hockey’s supremacy.
The players obviously looked exhausted after the long flight, which was reportedly very smooth, according to some people on board.
Some of them came to meet the supporters before leaving on the bus. Nathan Gaucher, in particular, said he was feeling “super good.” We can understand!
Happy supporters
It seems that the celebrations in the presence of the supporters will take place more on Tuesday, but those who were there in the early hours wanted to say thank you to the winners.
“We have a great sense of belonging to the team. “It’s a great pride to know that we’re talking about it across Canada,” said Benoît Marois, accompanied by his brother Gaston, who recalled welcoming the Nordiques back from Montreal after their unexpected triumph in spring 1982 was called.
“I also took part in the last Memorial Cup in 2006. Radulov was the most dominant player but the team is more complete this year. “Defensively it was really flawless,” he said.
The good vibes were there, of course, but the two brothers also felt nostalgia as they saw one page of the story turned.
“It’s probably Patrick Roy’s last game and we don’t really know for Jacques Tanguay either. In the case of Simon Gagné, there is still no certainty. It’s like nostalgia is in the air. At least it ends really well. You couldn’t ask for more,” they said.
long term work
For André Marcotte, a fan who has held his season ticket since the Videotron Center opened, the Remparts’ triumph was the culmination of years of hard work.
“It’s a tremendous achievement. We’ve had good teams before, but we didn’t quite make it. With the team we had there, it couldn’t have been any other way. This group is well laid out from A to Z.
“As for the rest, I believe they will put the right people in the right places and everything will start on the right page. We will do it again because Quebec has always been a city of champions. “I’m sure there will be good continuity,” he said.
For his part, Claude Roy, who even carried around his replica Stanley Cup, was enjoying the moment while preparing for a more difficult tomorrow.
“I’m proud of her. This is a team that represents us well in Quebec. Of course it will affect us if Patrick Roy and Jacques Tanguay leave, but I would really like Simon Gagné to become Remparts head coach. We know him well and he’s a good leader for Quebec.
“The Remparts won’t be like that this year, but we won’t let them go,” he assured.