On his final lap, Gilles Courteau was swept up in a love rush during the Assises, held in his adopted home town of Sherbrooke.
After receiving a hearty ovation on Thursday’s induction evening for new Hall of Famers, the former Commissioner of the QMJHL was treated to a tribute evening in the presence of nearly 150 guests on Friday.
“I don’t remember being applauded like that in an arena,” he said with a smile. These signs of affectation touch me deeply. In addition to my wife, my children and the league employees, I had the honor of inviting people who were important to me in the course of my career to the evening of honor. It is the culmination of more than 47 years of cooperation. »
The former Commissioner’s guests included Charlie Henry, Normand Brousseau, Conrad Chapdeleine, Michel Bergeron and former Prime Minister Jean Charest.
peace of mind
The decision by the members of the QMJHL to rename the trophy awarded to the playoff champions also had a major impact on Courteau.
“It is a great token of appreciation and a great honor. I also really appreciated that Commissioner Cecchini gave me the opportunity to present the Gilles Courteau trophy. It was a very nice moment. »
Alain Vigneault was inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame and was very pleased with the recognition Courteau received. “I have great respect and admiration for Gilles. I have a nice thought for him. »
Courteau also leaves calmly.
“I’m leaving with a very good sense of accomplishment,” he said. The house is fine. The QMJHL is a fine private company with renowned owners and enthusiasts who make me proud. The quality of the owners makes it possible to offer quality support to the players. »
The decision to make
Looking back, Courteau still believes he made the right decision in resigning.
“I’m disappointed to have ended my affiliation with the league by retiring, but it was the decision I made and I feel very comfortable.” I remain in touch with the commissioner’s office and stand by them Available if you need advice. I haven’t spent all these years with the QMJHL to let go. »
Courteau was originally scheduled to retire on May 31, 2024, but his long association ended abruptly on March 5, 2023, as the storm surrounding the hockey initiation scandal peaked. The political pressure was very high at the time.
The Remparts are confident for the repechage
Even if they don’t have a first-round pick, the Remparts believe they can pick a player who will become an important part of their team.
The Remparts will pick 35th pick in Saturday’s QMJHL Draft, which will be held at the Palais des Sports.
“Realistically, we expect our first pick will be among our top six attackers or our top four defenders in the medium term,” said Diables Rouges chief scout Marc Chamard. We’re not going to choose a dominant guy like Caleb Desnoyers [il sera choisi au premier rang par Moncton] and he will need kilometers but we think he can assert himself from January. It may not be ready in September, but we think a lot about the development. »
“Of the 30 16-year-old players who have played in the QMJHL this year, 10 or 12 have been in their place,” continued Chamard. A guy like Maxim Massé in Chicoutimi improved because he was in the top 6 and played on the power play, but that’s not the case for everyone. It’s not bad to start the season in the U18AAA and make the leap in January. Massé did so well that he was named the best rookie in the country.
No movement expected
Chamard doesn’t expect his boss Patrick Roy to be promoted to the repechage.
“Unless there’s a big surprise, I don’t expect it. By trading Charle Truchon for Rimouski, we end up with two picks for the third or fourth round, which is not bad. »
Chamard, deputy general manager in addition to his role as chief scout, is pleased with the transaction Truchon sent to Rimouski. “It’s a win-win transaction for both teams. Its value could have been higher during the holiday trading period, but we wanted to post a pick this year and were less interested in 2024 picks. Simon Maltais will be a good defender and he has already told us that he wants to help our youngsters. »
Chamard traveled to Kamloops with the other team scouts to complete preparations for the draft.
“Thanks to Jacques [Tanguay] and to Patrick [Roy] who brought all the Boy Scouts to the Memorial Cup so we could have our final meeting. Despite the long playoff run, we didn’t miss anything. Patrick was present today [vendredi] for our meetings and he was very engaging. »
Additionally, on Friday, the Remparts sold guard Samuel Lachance to the Gatineau Olympiques in exchange for defender Antoine Michaud.