Marco Sorel, an army retiree who rose quickly through the ranks within the organization, and Mathieu Normandin, a former player who assisted Scott Colosimo behind the bench last season, purchased the franchise from Ian Matthews, Bob Crawford and Rémi Robert. They were accompanied Tuesday by Colosimo, who adds the high-sounding title of director of hockey operations to that of head coach, and Vincent Lévesque, the ex-Inouk who was officially presented as the new head recruiter.
Clearly, the new owners, local people, have good intentions and come with a humility that makes them likeable. To be cynical, one could say that all those who took part in the same exercise as them since the end of the Bernard family era – the owners, the general managers, the coaches, lark – also had good intentions. . But we’re not going there and, as with all the others before, we’re going to give the runner a chance.
The press conference took place at the top of the arena stands. Usually, the team meets journalists in the locker room. But we imagine that the Inouk logo still takes up all the space in the room and that Sorel and his partner, dressed in an Indigo polo shirt, clearly wanted to demonstrate their firm desire to cut ties with the Inouk and their past.
A past which has long been glorious, with great crowds and even the conquest of the Napa Cup in 2014. But a recent past which has seen the arena completely empty and which has seen a staggering number of leaders and men pass through hockey.
Few people are crazy about the name Indigo. But in the case of hockey’s Inouk, change was necessary. The reality is that the Inouk name, still in the case of hockey, is burned. New name, new uniforms, new owners: the change of direction, at least in terms of image, could not be more drastic. And that’s what it takes if the organization wants to regain a certain credibility and put some people back into the Léonard-Grondin Sports Center.
Marco Sorel, here in the foreground, and Mathieu Normandin. The new owners do not lack good will. (Stéphane Champagne/La Voix de l’Est)
Worn speech
Yes, all the goodwill in the world could be seen on the faces of Marco Sorel, Mathieu Normandin and Co. on Tuesday evening. However, we heard things that we have often heard in the past with the Inouk: reestablishing the link with the Granbyens, increasing the presence of the team within the community, “we present hockey without violence”, “we trains young men for the future”, etc. The speech is nothing new, even if it is a little, quite worn out.
That said, Marco Sorel shared something interesting: “All our initiatives should not be aimed at bringing people back to the arena. We can also just give for the sake of giving.” The man then demonstrated that he had his heart in the right place, something that will work in his favor.
Sorel also wants to significantly lower ticket prices. He’ll hit a home run if he can do it. Because the product is not worth (or no longer worth) the $15 required, according to many.
Yes, the Inouk are dead, long live Indigo! Let’s now hope that the name change will bring about the real transformation of a team that has already rallied people here.
