Drama in Laval: the Rocket will have a new head coach. Three weeks after the announcement of a contract extension with the Canadian’s school club, Jean-François Houle leaves his position.
Posted at 12:13 p.m.
Updated at 2:11 p.m.
Houle and the Rocket “jointly end their association,” the team said in a press release, a version corroborated by Houle in an interview with The Press.
Houle is leaving his position to return to Clarkson University, his alma materwhere he will become head coach of the men’s program.
“I loved my stay in Laval,” Houle said on the phone. The Canadian has always treated me well. And I’m very happy to return to Clarkson. It’s always special to be coach of the program where you played. This will allow me to continue to develop players. »
This position at Clarkson just became available. Casey Jones, who occupied it, was hired by Cornell University, its alma mater, where he will serve as associate coach for the upcoming season. He will then succeed Mike Schafer, who has led Cornell since 1995. This situation explains the rather particular timing of Houle’s departure.
What was the reaction of John Sedgwick, general manager of the Rocket, when Houle raised the possibility of leaving his position?
“I have a really good relationship with the Canadian,” says Houle. But it was something important to me and my family. They understood how important it was to me. That’s why they gave Clarkson permission to talk to me. I am very grateful for that. »
A demotion?
Houle has spent the last three years at the helm of the Rocket. His position, however, entailed a particular family dynamic. His 21-year-old daughter was studying at university in California, his 20-year-old son is enrolled at the State University of New York at Potsdam, a neighboring institution to Clarkson, in fact. And on weekends when the Rocket played at home, his wife came from the United States with their 7-year-old daughter to spend time in Laval.
In the Rocket’s end-of-season review, Houle stressed the importance of family time during the off-season. “Go take my daughter to school, go pick her up, go fishing with her,” he listed.
Houle assures, however, that this new position also comes with obligations. “Both jobs are very demanding. The NCAA is maybe even more so, because you have to do recruiting and take care of alumni. But on the family side, my family was happy in Laval and it will be happy in Clarkson. It didn’t weigh in the balance. »
In these circumstances, it is therefore unusual for a coach to leave the American League, from where the NHL is generally more accessible than in the university ranks.
” All the coaches have a different path. Mine is really different from many others. coaches, recognized Houle. For me, going back to university doesn’t change much. I’m staying coach, I continue to develop players. The academic side is different, but I keep in touch with agents, with people from the professional world. »
Did he feel stuck in Montreal, where Martin St-Louis seems to be doing well? ” No. We were happy in Laval. Montreal has always treated me well. You can still move up to the NHL from the NCAA. No one is holding you back and it’s not a dream I’m giving up on. But go back coach where I played, it’s special. »
