Sport

A Texan falls in love with French thanks to the Montreal Canadiens and Pierre Houde

2024-03-14 20:19:05

The biggest supporter of Cole Caufield (and the Montreal Canadiens) does not live in Quebec, but in Austin, Texas! The American loves the Tricolore so much that he decided to learn French by listening to Pierre Houde describe the Sainte-Flanelle matches.

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Sean McCrea’s love of hockey began in 2012 while he was a college student in Pennsylvania. Although he was initially a fan of the New York Rangers, a Quebec friend he met a few years later made him change teams.

This friend assured him that the Canadian was the best team in the National Hockey League (NHL) and that “the atmosphere during the games is unique thanks to the fans.”

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“That’s when he told me that if I wanted to be a real fan of the Canadian, I had to learn a little French to live the experience to the fullest,” says − in French − the professional pharmacist in an interview with 24 hours.

“And the buuuuuut!”

It was while watching matches on RDS that his learning of French really began. The American Francophile is also unequivocal: the host Pierre Houde is “an icon of Quebec”.

In addition to Canadian matches and discussions with his friends from Quebec, Sean McCrea uses the Duolingo application every day to enrich his vocabulary. He has become so comfortable in the Tremblay language that at work, he sometimes blurts out a little local chant.

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And why French? “Because it’s an interesting language that I’ve wanted to speak since childhood,” he explains.

A real fan

During his first trip to Montreal last December, the 30-year-old American attended not one, two, but three Canadian games at the Bell Center. He didn’t stop there: he returned to Quebec last weekend to watch another game.

He loves Montreal so much that he dreams of living there one day. But not right away: he wants to work for a few years and pay off his student debt.

Cole, Cole, Cole!

But what he loves even more than Montreal and the Canadian: number 22 of the Habs.

Sean McCrea, who plays in a garage league in Texas, recognizes himself in Cole Caufield, who is short like him.

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“When I look at his good style of play, I try to recreate it, because he manages to score points. He’s a good player and he’s very quick on the ice,” underlines the amateur player.

And beyond Caufield’s prowess on the ice, Sean McCrea appreciates Cole Caufield’s personality, but above all “his good energy and his contagious smile.”