After severely regulating fights, the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League could now dictate the tone with a lighter schedule in order to reduce travel and allow players to concentrate on their studies.
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For his 56e season that will begin Friday and conclude with the Memorial Cup in Rimouski, the QMJHL will go from 68 to 64 regular games per team, which will mean that “90% of the games will be played on weekends or holidays,” confirmed commissioner Mario Cecchini, Tuesday, at a press conference in Montreal.
The announcement of this change has caused a stir, particularly in the United States and the rest of Canada, where the Ontario (OHL) and Western (WHL) junior league teams have 68 games scheduled.
“When you take steps forward, like with the fights, the other circuits talk about it. Even in the NHL draft, the USHL [junior américain] had asked me questions. […] “It’s a hot topic,” said Cecchini, who would like to get down to 60 duels within a year or two.
No complexes
For Cecchini, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), which oversees the QMJHL, the OHL and the WHL, has “no complexes” about the United States. But to move forward, two things would be needed: a Canadian university circuit worthy of the name and that the NCAA authorizes to spend more than 48 hours with a CHL club before making the jump to an American university.
On that last point, the eligibility rules could soon be modified, since a 20-year-old WHL forward has reportedly agreed to an agreement with Arizona State University.
“Players won’t have a big decision to make at 16 or 17 years old anymore, because let’s not forget that most of them won’t play in the NHL,” Cecchini said.
And if there were more choices than Trois-Rivières, Concordia and McGill as Quebec universities, as well as better scholarships, athletes might be more inclined to stay here to continue their athletic and academic journey.
“It’s nonsense that we don’t have a well-developed Canadian university circuit. I don’t blame anyone,” qualified the former president of the Alouettes. “What I expect is that it’s in the right direction, there are good conversations.”
Not above the law
Cecchini, who arrived in March 2023 in the midst of a violence and abuse scandal, has since introduced a code of conduct and some 150 recruits recently attended an induction day. A prosecutor, a sexologist, a nurse and former players spoke with the youngsters.
“It was very profitable, very direct with straightforward language. […] “When we talked about consent, I think adults learned things,” the commissioner noted.
Parents were also invited to attend the trainings virtually, and Cecchini wants the conversation to continue at home.
“A prosecutor came and told them, ‘You’re not going to get away with this. Just because you’re a hockey player, and you’re suddenly recognized, doesn’t mean you’re above the law,'” Cecchini said.
A speech that the two Victoriaville Tigres hockey players guilty of sexual assault or the five players from the 2018 Canadian Junior Team accused of the same crime clearly did not hear.
▶ In addition, Mario Cecchini paid tribute to the courage of the Cape Breton Eagles players who are recovering from a car accident that occurred earlier this month. He specified that Lucas Romeo was in good shape and had participated in the Boston Bruins’ rookie camp, that Angelo Fullerton was doing well, but that Brayden Schmitt would need more time to recover. Cecchini also conveyed his condolences to the Eagles following the death of their bus driver David Aucoin, in addition to announcing that referee Nicolas Dutil, who ranks second in QMJHL history with 1,177 games, was battling cancer. He should be back on the ice in 2025.
