Terrible revelations from a former Habs player on minor hockey

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Elias Edmonson
May 16, 2024 (10:19)

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In a very touching text, former Montreal Canadien defenseman Alexandre Picard makes some sad revelations for our youth.

He recounts horror stories he has seen and experienced over the past few years while following the journey of his 11-year-old son.

To share his sad findings, he has just published a very long, touching text on the TVA Sports website, and it definitely deserves to be shared.

Alexandre Picard makes sad revelations about hockey in Quebec

See excerpts from his article.

«A former Canadiens defenseman has seen horror stories while following his 11-year-old son.

Is it too late to save our minor hockey? Shocking report.»

- TVA Sports

We will share a few examples, but we highly recommend reading the full text, titled «Quebec Minor Hockey Is Almost Incurable.»

«Since my return to Quebec, here are the horrors I have seen:

A father grabbing his child by the cage at the age of 9 and shaking his head because he is not playing up to his expectations.

A coach yelling at the top of his lungs for several seconds at a player during practice, in front of teammates and parents.

Situations where the rotation of goalies is thrown out the window.

Parents compiling their sons' statistics to increase their value in the eyes of others.

Intoxicated parents verbally attacking young players on the ice.

Young players forced to warm the bench while others play excessively.

These behaviors are not acceptable in a minor hockey context.

I have seen the intensity evolve through my son's experiences, and I note a fundamental difference between Europe and Quebec: the mentality.»

- Alexandre Picard, via TVA Sports

He mentions that in Europe, where he played for many years, it is completely different, with the mentality really focused on the fun and skill development of EACH player.

According to him, in Quebec, all that matters are performance, appearance, and results.

We are talking about 11 and 12-year-olds here... It is truly concerning.

Towards the end of the text, he delivers a powerful message:

«What these programs seem to understand is that the development of young people in training is just as important as the development of athletes, because after all, the probability of reaching the NHL is 0.03%.

I am addressing the parents. Regardless of the sport, age, or category, stand up. Denounce these kinds of injustices. [...] Put the child at the heart of the debate and stop believing that all this is acceptable.» - Alexandre Picard

Hoping that this can spark an important discussion:

«Excellent text by Alex Picard this morning. Minor hockey in Quebec is sick. The structure is rotten. The recovery will go through school hockey, I am convinced.

The passage that affected me the most during my reading below, imagine what is going through the young person's mind...» - Marc-Olivier Beaudoin

The full famous text is right here:

«As a hockey stakeholder, I wrote a column to address an important issue: the troubling mentality and culture of minor hockey. It is time to rethink our approaches for the well-being of our young athletes.» - Alex Picard