Habs' last Francophone skaters to shine in the mid-1990s were Pierre Turgeon and Vincent Damphousse.
Patrice Bergeron chatting about possible hubs please remember. Well, it's not happening.
On Monday, Bergeron, one of the greatest two-way centers of his generation, announced his yearly $2.5 million deal with the Boston Bruins team. Re-signed a friendly contract. In addition, incentives of USD 2.5 million are expected.
When last season ended, there was speculation that unlimited freelancer Bergeron, his agent, might sign CH. On NBC Sports in May, former NHL player Tony Amonte said he heard Bergeron was seriously considering playing for Montreal for a long time. However, Bergeron quickly denied the rumors. .
Florida He's from the Panthers to Calgary He's a Quebec star who just got traded to the Flames He remembers all the talk about the possibility that winger Jonathan Huberdeau was slated to sign with Montreal Put it down please. Unrestricted free agency next summer. Well, that's not happening either.
That was before Huberdeau, who was tied for second in his NHL points (115) last season, signed the most lucrative contract in Flames history. That's what I was talking about. $84 million contract extension.
Then there was speculation thatPierre-Luc Dubois would be traded to Winnipeg from the Jets to the Canadiens. Pegg and his agent Pat Brisson have released comments suggesting Dubois wants to play in Montreal.
Talk intensified when DuBois showed up at Bell his center for the draft. A lot of people said that his GM at Habs, Kent his Hughes brought him here and Habs wants to make a big splash by announcing what's next on draft day. Dubois will wear Bleu Blanc Rouge next season.
You can see the pattern. Fans of Habs and ici in the media talked about the idea of these high-profile French-speaking Quebec people joining CH, but it turned out to be just chit-chat.
Why is it so hard to get an A-list skater from Quebec, a French-speaking country during the heyday of the Canadiens? Clearly, it's something that much of the Quebec fanbase likes.However, Habs management hasn't had much success in the sector over the past few decades.
Who was Hub's last real star Francophone Quebec who was not a goalkeeper? Pierre Tourjon and Vincent d'Empouse CH.
In the summer of 2007, many thought Daniel Brière, then an unrestricted free agent, would sign for Montreal. However, he ended up signing his eight-year contract with the Flyers instead. He eventually came to Montreal in his 2013 year, but by then had become a shadow of his former self.
Clearly,former Canadiens GM Mark Bergevin thought he had a big French-speaking star named Jonathan Lewin, but apparently he was wrong. Drouin — Widely considered to be Bergevin's worst deal. Drouin did not disappoint.
After his speech in Montreal in the fall of 2019, I asked Geoff Molson, CEO of Habs, about the fact that many were clamoring for the team to have more French-speaking players. rice field.
"As we see more and more players from all over the world joining the league, including Finns, Swedes, Russians and Swiss, it becomes more and more difficult. It's become," Molson said. at the time. “So there are less places for other countries. Certainly, all things being equal, we want Quebec players for our teams and we will continue to try. If there is less, it's not due to our lack of desire, it's that we want the best possible team on the ice."
Of course, they want the best team. But every Habs manager is always trying to get local players. Last summer Bergevin acquired three of his French-speaking players, but unfortunately he had all three — David Savart, Mathieu Perrault and Cédric Puckett — not very good. It turns out. In this year's draft, many Quebec fans and journalists criticized management for picking just one Quebec player, Miguel Tourigny, his 216th overall in the seventh and final round. Did.
There will therefore be no prominent French-speaking players in his Habs for 2022-23 at this point, and he probably has no French-speaking skaters at all, except for Drouin and Savard. maybe not.
bkelly@postmedia.com
twitter.com/brendanshowbiz
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