TRIPLE RIVERS | A visit to the Colisee Jean-Guy-Talbot is like a long journey through time. Located in the Parc de l’Exposition, the building has not changed since its inauguration in 1938.
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As with the original Forum in Montreal, pillars block the viewer’s view. The place exudes a certain charm. The walls ooze hockey. If we close our eyes, we see Michel Bergeron standing on the Draveurs bench, protesting the officials.
The banners of the former Trois-Rivières junior team have given way to those of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes. Eleven of these commemorate the conquests of the Queen’s Cup, the emblematic trophy of the Ontario University Association playoff championship to which the Patriotes belong.
Our gaze then rests on five more pennants commemorating the Patriotes’ Canadian varsity championships, the most recent being last year.
The Patriots are looking to add two more titles this year. Regular-season champions of the Ontario League’s East Division, they will begin Queen’s Cup defense tonight when they take on the Carleton University Ravens in Game 1 of a best-of-three series at home.
We return to the present as we enter the Patriotes dressing room. The completely renovated room corresponds to the taste of the time.
It remains to modernize the coaching office, where we meet head coach Marc-Étienne Hubert, one of his assistants Marc-André Ronda and statistician Jacques Brouillette a few hours before a game against the Paladins of Kingston Military College.
Photo Jean-Yves Pronovost
Marc-Étienne Hubert, UQTR Patriotes head coach
André Melançon and Luc Bélanger complete the coaching staff.
Far behind football
The Patriotes, crowned the Ontario Circuit Eastern Conference regular-season champions, are second in the national rankings behind the University of Calgary Dinos.
Despite their success, they are not entitled to the same media treatment in football as Laval University’s Rouge et Or and University of Montreal’s Carabins. Marc-Étienne Hubert’s team is not even a champion in its city and in the Mauritian region.
Like what nobody in his country is a prophet.
The Patriots head coach has a sympathetic reply to people who tell him they are not interested in the product he proudly represents.
“You don’t know that!” he tells them.
“Have you ever seen a match?” he continues, slipping into familiarity.
“If so, how long ago?
“Don’t talk through your hat.
“Go to a game and we’ll talk later.”
A great discovery
The 44-year-old man, originally from Chicoutimi, rolled his stomach while a player in the Quebec Major Junior League.
He defended the colors of his hometown saguenéens for five seasons, then played with the Titans of the Collège français de Laval, the Foreurs de Val-d’Or, the Voltigeurs de Drummondville and the Drakkar de Baie-Comeau.
After his first full junior season with the Sags, the Phoenix Coyotes, who had just arrived in Arizona, selected him in the ninth round of the National League Draft. However, he never signed a contract with the Coyotes.
After his junior internship, he moved to Trois-Rivières, where he got to know university hockey.
It was the biggest discovery of his playing career.
“In four years we have won two national titles and four championships. This is where I learned how to be a winner, he says.
“I scored the best goal of my career at the Canadian Championship [but inscrit en deuxième période de prolongation en finale]. Those four years as a player at Trois-Rivières have made the Patriotes hold a big place in my heart.
Hubert then sailed to France where he played a season in Morzine.
Planned Career
He then returned to Quebec to begin a career as a coach, the goal he set in life after retiring from playing.
The idea came to him at the age of 15 when he was playing with the Élites de Jonquière in what was then the Midget AAA League. It was the first time he played under the tutelage of a certified coach in the person of Martin Daoust, who quickly realized he had the potential to follow in his footsteps.
Hubert began his career as an assistant coach with the Saguenéens, a position he held for six years before being promoted to head coach. But after just two seasons, to everyone’s surprise, he left Chicoutimi to join the Patriots.
“It wasn’t an easy decision for me,” he said.
“My girlfriend, who had a job in Chicoutimi, and I were parents to a three-year-old boy and expecting a second child. After Chicoutimi, Trois-Rivières was the only other place I wanted to go.
“The first thing I said at the press conference where I announced my departure from Chicoutimi was that I was going to Trois-Rivières to take back the national university championship. The coast was dangerous. It took eight years.”
Together with his players, Hubert has kept his promise and now the Patriots are aiming for their second title in a row.
Wish you good luck!
No right to win in Quebec
The Ontario University Association is imposing protectionist rules on the three Quebec teams that are members of their county’s eastern division. Therefore, the Queen’s Cup Final cannot be presented anywhere other than Ontario. The same applies to the bronze medal match, which allows the winners to compete as the third team in the Canadian Championship.
This format gives the impression that the three teams from Quebec are there for charity, an opinion not shared by Marc-Étienne Hubert.
“Can we understand that they have this rule?” asks the Patriots coach.
“In a way yes. We’re in their league. We would do the same if they played in ours.
“On the other hand, McGill and our team have multiple championships under their belt.”
The Patriots with 11 and the Redbirds with five, yes a total of 16 titles in 34 seasons since they are part of the Ontario League, so almost 50%.
lasting memories
Hubert has fond memories of winning the two Canadian championships as a player in 2001 and 2003 under Jacques Laporte.
“We had the fleur-de-lis on our uniform and we flew our Quebec flag everywhere,” he recalls.
Our former journalist Serge Vleminckx, who covered student sports for Le Journal de Montréal and Québec for many years, reported on a tasty quote from Dany Dubé after the Patriotes won the 1991 Canadian Championship.
“This victory tastes like frog legs!”, friend Dany had brought to the start.
Four years before him, Clément Jodoin had led the Patriots to a first conquest of the Canadian title under tension to cut with a knife.
A lucky charm
Incidentally, a fun fact marked the Patriotes’ victory in the Canadian Championship finals against the Golden Bears of Alberta last year.
In the second overtime, Simon Lafrance asked Marc-Étienne Hubert to kiss the blade of his racquet. He recalled his coach scoring the winning goal in the 2001 Canadian Championship final under similar circumstances.
The tactic worked.
Lafrance scored the winning goal after a good run from Zachary Lavigne.
Photo from Facebook of the Patriotes de l’UQTR
Simon Lafrance, scorer of the winning goal in second overtime in the 2022 Canada University Championship final.
Goaltender Alexis Gravel, formerly of Halifax Mooseheads, held 66 pucks, including 22 in overtime.
That’s the kind of victory you don’t forget.
Not even champions in their own country
“The whole league doesn’t have the visibility it deserves,” said center Zachary Lavigne
Photo from Facebook of the Patriotes de l’UQTR
The Patriots minutes before the start of the 2022 Canada College Championship Finals. We recognize Captain Zachary Lavigne, second from right.
Just hearing the words “You are not recognized…” Simon Lafrance knows you want to speak to him about the lack of visibility faced by UQTR patriots. He completes the sentence.
“Absolutely not!” he reacts quickly.
There is sarcasm in his smile.
“For young players who have played in front of 6,000 to 7,000 spectators in Quebec or in Halifax, where every game is packed, it’s a shock! says the Patriots captain, who hails from Saint-Eustache.
“Personally, I had no complaints when I played in Major Junior. The fans in Victoriaville are incredible. In Val-d’Or, it’s also filled with every game, adds the center player, who has played in those markets.
“You arrive here, the students are numerous for our Wednesday games. But on a Saturday afternoon, when a lot of them are home for the weekend and there are only 200 people in the stands, it really brings you down to earth! Especially for a first-year player who isn’t sure what to expect.”
The team first
Not to mention the bad media coverage. The Lions have garnered much attention in the Trois-Rivières media since arriving in the ECHL.
It wasn’t until the Patriots went to the national championship last year to talk about the troubles in their own backyard.
“Do we want to be appreciated more? asks Lavigne.
“Absolutely!
“Do people want to be talked about more often?
“Absolutely!
“But at the end of the day, you don’t gamble for those things. You do it for the 23 guys in the room. We live good times together.
“As for the little importance that is given to us, we have no control over it. It seems to be a part of life.
Engaged young people
Center Zachary Lavigne, this year’s Ontario Conference top scorer, says the uneasiness is widespread.
“The whole league doesn’t get the visibility it deserves,” he said.
“But all the people who see us play for the first time are surprised by the quality of the game and come back to see us. It’s a league that deserves to be known. We’re talking about Quebec players who are studying seriously and who aspire to play in the pro ranks by the time they graduate.
What does coach Marc-Étienne Hubert think?
“The league only has three teams in Quebec, he recalls.
“It’s hard for people to form a relationship. I try to be rational about it. It’s easy to say that we’re not talked about enough. But one has to wonder why.
“There are times when we don’t play often, especially in December when there’s a study break. We’ve been without a home game for almost two months this season [26 novembre au 18 janvier].”
Canadian college hockey also does not enjoy television coverage comparable to football. The TVA Sports Network presents Quebec Student Sports Network games every weekend during the football season.
You can also see the playoff games and the Vanier Cup grand championship.
As for hockey, only the Canadian championship is offered to amateurs.
When is a Quebec Circuit?
Despite all that, Hubert believes in the creation of an all-Quebec league, as suggested in his report by the Hockey Development Committee chaired by Marc Denis last May.
Photo from Facebook of the Patriotes de l’UQTR
Julien Tessier and the Patriotes in action during the Canadian University Championship semifinals against the University of Alberta Golden Bears in 2022.
“If people are committed and genuinely interested, it’s doable,” the Patriots head coach said.
But the practice requires patience and persistence.
It will also necessarily require financial support from the private sector.
“It will be difficult in the short or medium term,” said Hubert.
It is to be hoped that the report’s recommendations for revitalizing Quebec ice hockey will become a reality.
The logical next step for QMJHL players
The hockey program at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières needs no introduction in the Quebec Major Junior League.
“It’s recognized,” said captain Zachary Lavigne.
The 24-year-old native of Drummondville played four seasons in the QMJHL, all with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.
His move to the Patriotes was natural.
“In my recruiting year, several 20-year-old players had already signed contracts with the university,” he says.
“I saw the potential that is being built. I liked the mentality. I was arrested as soon as Marc-Étienne Hubert came to speak to me.
Best ambassador ever
Hubert is an ideal spokesperson for the institution. He went the same way as his players. He graduated from UQTR with a major in Physical Education and a minor in History.
“It gives a sense of belonging,” Lavigne continues.
“That’s where his passion comes from. He played here, he conveys the culture of the Patriots well.
Lavigne is in his senior year with the Patriots; he is studying business administration.
“I came here to study,” he explains.
“My goal was to develop as a hockey player and build my post-career plan in finance.”
Fourth in Canada
Before entering the business world, Lavigne wants to play hockey for as long as possible. Whether in a professional league in North America or in Europe, where the financial performance is excellent in many places.
His teammate Simon Lafrance is studying to be a sports and health teacher. He has one year left until graduation. His brother Félix takes courses in administration.
Simon is doing well with the Patriotes. He is the top scorer on the Ontario circuit and ranks fourth in the country.
“Studying in Trois-Rivières was the logical choice,” he says.
“Coming from Saint-Eustache, we are an hour and a half from where we live. family is important to me. I wanted to be close to home. I knew the distance when I played in Val d’Or.
“Finally, the Patriotes program is recognized across Canada.”
The Patriots’ record ranks fourth in Canadian varsity hockey history.
The QMJHL has made a name for itself
Lafrance always studied when he played in the QMJHL, despite the extensive travel he had to make.
“In both Val-d’Or and Victoriaville, I went to CEGEP on site,” he says.
“The Major Junior League has improved a lot at this level. I saw the development that took place between my freshman and fourth years. First, we missed the first two weeks of classes. In the end, we were there from day one.”
Led by its Commissioner, Gilles Courteau, the QMJHL established a scholarship program a few years ago.
With the exception of defenseman Hugo Allais, all other Patriotes players played in the QMJHL. Allais hails from Amiens, France, and came to Quebec at Bantam age. Marc-Étienne Hubert had met him during a series of Patriots games against French Premier League teams.
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