When Jeff Gorton was with the Rangers, he could walk around New York incognito. In Montreal he understood that things were completely different. The Canadiens vice-president spoke about his new life in Montreal and his difficulties learning French.
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“I remember words and their meanings well, but I have a hard time forming sentences,” he told me during a long interview this week.
However, he is not discouraged.
A teacher has been giving him weekly lessons for a year.
“If you give me a paragraph to read, I understand 80% of its content,” says the man who will celebrate his two-year anniversary as the team’s ice hockey boss at the end of November.
“But when I’m with people and they talk quickly, I can’t follow the conversation. My brain thinks in English. »
This is the biggest difficulty for people learning a new language. You have to think with the person in whom the conversation is taking place.
It comes with time, lessons and training.
“My teacher speaks to me very slowly so I can understand what she is saying,” Gorton continues.
“But when I’m in public and people talk quickly, I find it hard to follow. »
So we shouldn’t expect Gorton to be doing interviews in French any time soon, but hey.
Let’s give it a chance and we’ll see.
No more anonymity
Archive photo, QMI Agency (Joël Lemay)
“Living in a city makes you really get to know it,” notes Jeff Gorton after nearly two years in Montreal.
“I thought I knew a lot about Montreal before I came here, but today I feel like that wasn’t the case,” he says.
Since teams from the US East Coast only need about 75 minutes to get to Montreal by plane, they usually arrive in the city late in the afternoon on the eve of games.
Players and managers go their separate ways to the restaurants and then return to the hotel. This leaves little time for sightseeing and getting to know the mentality and habits of the people.
“Today I better understand what the Canadiens mean to Montreal,” Gorton can say.
With a French-speaking family in Verdun
In his early youth, goalkeeper Gorton and his ice hockey team took part in an exchange program with a sports organization in Verdun.
When his team came here, he lived with a monolingual French-speaking family, while the young Verdunois stayed with monolingual English-speaking families when it was their turn to go to Boston.
Gorton later went on a ski trip to Mont-Sainte-Anne with his college.
Better known than in New York
Since arriving with the Canadiens, Gorton has lived downtown, as has Martin St-Louis, with whom he often dines. Although his coach in Montreal needs no introduction, fans quickly learned to recognize the vice president of hockey operations.
“The other night, Martin and I were leaving a restaurant in Griffintown where it was dark outside,” Gorton says.
“When they saw us, some of them shouted our names,” he adds, amused.
This is different from New York, where Rangers can wander through Manhattan in relative anonymity. Guy Lafleur really enjoyed his year-long stay in a Rangers jersey.
“Over there, with three or four teams in town [Yankees, Mets, Knicks et Rangers, sans oublier les Giants et les Jets qui jouent au New Jersey]Fans primarily focus on baseball, football and basketball.
“You can also meet a lot of actors and actresses in the city. »
To hell with golf!
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
In his free time, Gorton occasionally plays golf.
“Guys [ses collègues de travail] They all play, but I for one go to clubs less than I used to, he says.
“The explanation is that I’m not as good as I used to be and that makes me bitter. It’s demoralizing to feel so bad when you used to play so well. That’s annoying. »
His favorite hobbies are family trips, reading, cinema and music.
Tom Hanks is his favorite actor.
“He is good in all his roles, no matter what kind of character he is supposed to play,” he notes.
“I think he started his career with small roles in sitcoms. »
Follower of country
When it comes to music, Gorton has been listening to a lot of country lately.
“My boys have been fans for a long time,” he says.
“I spend so much time with them in the summer that I developed a love for this music. I recently visited Morgan Wallen when he was in Montreal. He was very good.
“But I have different tastes. I also love the band Coldplay and Billy Joel. »
Martin St-Louis also became a country fan. He confided that to Paul Arcand this week during his appearance on the show Puisqu’il peut se leva.
When will there be a Gorton St Louis karaoke duet?
Serious ? Not always !
When Jeff Gorton is asked to take his self-portrait, he reacts like anyone else interviewed for the purpose.
“You should ask the people who know me best,” he said.
But he doesn’t need to be asked to play the game.
“People will be surprised to learn that I have a sense of humor and like to have fun,” he continues.
“People tend to think I have a serious temper. But I joke a lot with my family. I play tricks on them and they pay me back. »
Two hockey players in the family
His family includes his wife Cyndi, his eldest son Jack, a Boston University Terriers recruit, and Sam, the youngest, who is in his senior year of high school. He wears the colors of the Forest Lake Rangers, part of a school district in the New York suburbs.
Gorton creates this atmosphere in the office with the goal of creating a family-friendly work environment.
“I’m very passionate about my job,” he continues.
“I love my family, the Montreal Canadiens, my friends and hockey. I don’t really feel like I’m working. I have fun every day.
“I know there’s a lot of pressure when you’re building a team in a market like Montreal, but I love it. »
Two important allies
Archive photo, Pierre-Paul Poulin
In this regard, Gorton finds himself well surrounded by Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis.
“They are able to handle the pressure, they are open to it and they want to be here,” emphasizes Gorton.
The three spend a lot of time together as their spouses look after the youngest children who are still at home. »
Next year, Gorton’s wife will join him in Montreal while their youngest son begins college.
“Hockey takes up a lot of time,” Gorton continues.
“It’s like working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 12 months a year. At some point you have to find a way out.
“In the summer we spend a lot of time with the family. I follow my wife and our children in whatever they want to do. »
You won’t be surprised to learn that Gorton was a Bruins, Red Sox and Patriots fan growing up.
“When you’re from Boston, it’s bad form to favor out-of-town teams,” he said.
Quebec fans who visit the Canadian in Boston know something about this!