MONTREAL – We can say that it was at the age of 13-14 that Christian DeBlois began his career as a recruiter while he accompanied his father, Lucien, to Harfangs de Beauport matches.
“Yeah, that’s it,” he replies, smiling. There were very good players with Alexandre Daigle, Daniel Brière and Denis Gauthier who I really liked. My interest in recruitment started there.”
“I loved going to the games with my father and it also allowed me to spend time with him too,” said DeBlois, who remembers conversations with other recruiters like André “Moose” Dupont and Yvon Gendron.
Like his twin brother (Simon) and his little brother (Dominic), Christian was immersed in the world of hockey thanks to the career of their friendly father who played 993 games in the NHL before becoming a coach, briefly, and a recruiter for around 30 years.
“It’s hard for my mother, poor her. In addition to carrying us around everywhere, she has to listen to us talk about hockey at the table,” admitted Christian DeBlois with compassion.
But for him and his brothers, this opening to the world of hockey was above all a Source of happiness.
“He’s your hero, you want to repeat what he does even if it’s not as easy as it seems,” DeBlois said of the player aspect.
“When you’re young, without knowing it, it’s a great opportunity. It allows you to go to the locker room before or after practices, sometimes on game days. Even that we could board the ice in Quebec, Toronto and New York. These are beautiful memories and it takes you to this environment,” he continued.
Over the years, we had the chance to discuss hockey with Lucien as well as with Dominic who works as an agent for the Will Sports Group agency where he supports clients like Thomas Chabot, David Savard, Maveric Lamoureux and Mavrik Bourque.
It was therefore necessary to take the time to get to know Christian, especially since he has just completed his sixth season as an amateur scout for the Ottawa Senators.
This is a very amusing irony and you will understand shortly. Six years ago, his father told us that it bothered him that certain NHL teams did not have a scout assigned to the QMJHL.
Well, a few months later, the Sens would entrust him with this mandate, first part-time and then full-time. His work with the Saint John Sea Dogs was noticed by Trent Mann who was director of recruiting for the Senators.
“Quebec was his territory. He lived near Moncton and he moved around. Initially, I only covered the QMJHL, but we have a smaller staff with Ottawa and that’s fortunate in a sense. I can travel to cover other territories in Ontario, Western Canada and the United States,” he explained.
The injection made him leave his teaching career
It would be easy to believe that DeBlois has only climbed the ranks in this business since his youth. On the contrary, he worked as a teacher for eight years.
Christian DeBloisIn fact, it was by going to watch games to help his little brother, the one who is an agent, that hockey brought him back into the fold. The Moncton Wildcats – more specifically Peter Nevin, whom he had known through his father – asked him if he wanted to work as a recruiter.
“It wasn’t planned like that, but that’s when I caught the bug. We were immersed in hockey for so long,” said DeBlois, who misses the connection with the children, but not all the tasks related to the teaching profession.
After five years with Moncton, he joined the Sea Dogs, the Cataractes and then the Senators. Eventually, he would like to become a recruiter required to validate reports in all territories including Europe.
“It’s a dream job for those who are passionate about hockey. But the family tastes it, that’s for sure,” DeBlois reacted.
“I had a girlfriend until recently, but it was difficult for her. We were both teachers when we met. She understood that it was not easy to put her before hockey,” he confided.
Even if the personal side suffered a setback, we still feel his great passion for hockey. Of course, the Senators have weathered some storms on the ice and in the front office since his arrival. He sees a more interesting context with the new owner Michael Andlauer and the revamped staff.
Pride and teasing
We suspect that the hockey dynamic must be very interesting in the family with his father, who we can still meet regularly at the Bell Centre, his brother Dominic who is an agent and his twin Simon who played up to the university level.
Moreover, Christian played a role in Thomas Chabot’s file so that Dominic became his agent. As for Simon, he helped Dominic close the deal for him to represent David Savard.
With their experience, they are able not to reveal everything to avoid a conflict of interest. A cautious approach since Chabot plays for the Senators organization.
But we notice even more the teasing between the four. Dominic texted us, with a cheerful smile, that Christian was undoubtedly the best scout in the family.
“Probably he’s right,” Christian replied, which made his father smile.
The dad will probably not be surprised to be annoyed by his sons. Above all, he is proud of his three boys and that Christian is following his path as a recruiter.
“I think he’s proud of me, he’s already told me that and we talk often. Besides, if I have questions, I ask them more to him than to Dominic,” he concluded, smirking, to annoy the family agent.
