Should what happens in the locker room stay in the locker room? One thing is certain, the release of the book by former Montreal Canadiens equipment manager Pierre Gervais is causing obvious unease among the team’s current players.
Eight players were planning to attend the book launch (and at least four had confirmed their attendance) Monday night at the Bell Centre, just outside the team’s locker room. None of them finally made an appearance. A mere coincidence? Probably not.
“I don’t take it personally, not at all, reacted Gervais, when asked regarding the absence of the players. I understand their schedule. »
Transparency
The head coach of the Canadian, Martin St-Louis, minimally came to do his rounds, as did Chantal Machabée, vice-president, hockey communications. The latter has also shown transparency on the uncomfortable situation surrounding the release of the book entitled At the heart of the locker room, in which former head coach Dominique Ducharme and former general manager Marc Bergevin are flayed.
“There was a malaise, that’s obvious. Players were bombarded with questions [après l’entraînement matinal], recognized Chantal Machabée. For tonight’s event [lundi], their presence was on a voluntary basis, it was not compulsory. »
“The players love Pierre Gervais, but the players loved Dominique Ducharme and Marc Bergevin, briefly explained the vice-president of communications. They had respect for these guys. So that put the players in a funny situation. »
Legacy for supporters
Despite the controversy, Pierre Gervais will obviously always be welcome at the Bell Center, he who worked for the organization of the Canadian for 35 years. He does not regret the release of the book or its content. The former equipment manager says he wanted to leave a legacy for the team’s fans. Many of them asked him for his memoirs.
“I didn’t expect there to be so many reactions,” Gervais said of the last few days. I may have been naive, but it made a lot of noise. Me, I say the real deals, it does not suit everyone, but as we say in English, “it is what it is”. »
For Martin St-Louis, it was natural to attend the launch, having first known Gervais on the international hockey scene.
“Pierre had a long career and I knew him when I was a player at the 2004 World Cup, then at the Olympic Games in Turin and Sochi,” said St-Louis. I was also happy to work with him with the Canadiens for a few months. He’s an amazing guy and I wanted to show him my support. »
Positive stories too
Beyond the echoes concerning this famous unwritten law which would not have been respected, Gervais says he has received several positive comments. Several stories present in the book, which was written by Mathias Brunet, are just as positive.
“I’ve had so many good comments from so many people in the hockey world and it really makes me happy,” testified the former equipment manager.
“When people read the book, they’ll see all the positives in that book. Stories with Saku Koivu, Bob Gainey, Patrick Roy … “, for his part noted the publisher Richard Beaudry, president of Ovation media.
In addition to his family members, Gervais took advantage of the launch to particularly thank Michel Bergeron, Serge Savard, Réjean Houle and Georges Guilbault.
