The Gilles Courteau Trophy will be on display at the Videotron Center on Friday night when the Quebec Remparts have an opportunity to win their first QMJHL championship since 1976.
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Both teams skated in the morning, and here’s what we remember.
1. Don’t talk about trophies in Remparts!
By midmorning, there’s no question the Remparts could win the Gilles Courteau Trophy by the end of Game 5.
When asked if the Remparts had a chance to do something big for the city, Roy simply replied, “I don’t doubt it.”
A colleague then asked him if he had any idea which of his players was ahead in the fight for the title of MVP in the series, in case the finals ended tonight.
“You’re going to ask me the question about the game,” he decided. I have no idea. In fact, I have an idea: when the puck hits the ice, we have to be ready.
The question also arises internally as to whether the Remparts will organize a parade before the start of the Memorial Cup tournament if they win the Gilles Courteau trophy again.
The team takes nothing for granted.
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2. Patrick Roy is nervous and calls Bob Hartley
Patrick Roy made it clear he was “a little nervous” about Game 5. “My biggest concern is making sure we’re focused on the way we want to play. I don’t want to forget any detail. He also spoke with Bob Hartley on Friday morning, who reminded him of memories of the Avalanche’s 2001 Stanley Cup win. After four games, the series was tied against the New York Devils (2-2). , and Roy’s Hartley-led Avalanche showed up in Game 5 with the wrong attitude.
“We started extremely strong, but we ran everywhere and were never in the right place. When we regrouped after game 5, we were 2-3 down and started the next game much more concentrated than intense. We have to find that balance tonight. »
3. “We’re in a great position,” says Sylvain Favreau
Halifax Mooseheads head coach Sylvain Favreau flashed his best smile as he faced the media on Friday morning, despite the difficult situation his team is in.
“We’re in a great position,” he corrected. We’re in the final and like Remparts we have a chance to win it. It’s four and the Remparts might be a little closer, but we’re in a great position.
“Tomorrow the sun will rise. We’re here to win a game and if I started out as a coach with a losing mentality, I wouldn’t be doing my job. We are a confident group.”
4. The happy return to spoil the party
Good news for the Mooseheads given the circumstances: Forward Zachary L’Heureux will return in Game 5 after missing the last game through injury.
“I wasn’t even sure I was going to make the trip. Being here is something big for me and the team. I hope that I can lead the team to three wins […] It was flat not to play the last game and the other one before that I was almost unable to play. It wasn’t easy but I’m feeling a lot better and I’ll try to use my full potential and distract them.”
L’Heureux also believes the pressure is on the Remparts.
“They have more pressure than we do. In the end, they want to win a championship at home. The opportunity is perfect for her, but we want to ruin it. We don’t want to focus too much on them, but more on what we need to do.
5. Memories for Daniel Agostino
Daniel Agostino is not treading new ground. On June 19, 2022, the Shawinigan Cataractes, with whom he played, led the QMJHL Finals 3-1 against the Charlottetown Islanders and managed to win Game 5 and secure the grand trophy.
“I’m just trying to tell everyone it’s still a hockey game. We don’t think about the future or the past, we are in the present moment.
“People already know that. We know what to do to win. We know our strengths and want to play our style of play.
However, last year Agostino won the President’s Cup at home when they won Game 5 in Charlottetown.
“I don’t know what it’s like to win at home and I would really like that, but you really have to stay in the moment and not think too much about what might happen after the game.”
As a bonus: At 1:00 p.m., the half value for Friday night’s game was almost $60,000. It is possible for anyone to buy tickets on the internet by clicking here.