The excitement of the start of the hockey season has always been part of Bruno Gervais’ life. The only difference this year is that it just celebrated its 40th anniversary.
The analyst has no difficulty admitting that he is one of the people who has difficulty accepting this new decade.
“There is an advert that recommends men start getting health tests from the age of 40. I remember seeing it and thinking it was 100 years from now. Yesterday it played again and I realized I was there. »
Retired from hockey since 2017, the ex-hockey player misses his former form.
“There are mornings when I feel very old. When I go to an event to play hockey, I’m happy but I know the next three days are going to be hell. »
It’s not just the physical side that tires him out. “Mentally, I thought I was a lot smarter at 40. I thought I knew more things, was wiser and calmer in my thoughts. But no, I’m still just as thick,” he says, laughing. “More seriously, I realize that there is less left and that we must take care of the quality of what remains. »
Learn to say no
The father of three children aged eleven, eight and seven has a schedule as full as a politician. Hockey analyst at RDS, president-governor of the Gaulois de St-Hyacinthe in the M18 AAA league, he also works within the Respect Group which offers training to prevent abuse and discrimination. A few months ago, he launched the Behy hydrating drink range, with a group of friends that includes his lifelong accomplice Maxime Talbot.
Bruno hoped that his post-career would be filled with projects and he finds that his mission is a little too well accomplished.
“The feeling I get is when you’re a kid and you run around in circles in an above-ground pool to create a whirlpool. I’ve been running for a long time and I feel like the current is overtaking me and dragging me. I’m no longer in control of where things are going and I try to grab the ladder to take a little break once in a while,” illustrates the man who also manages his son’s minor hockey team.
“What I want to learn from turning 40 is to say no more often. To go for quality rather than quantity. I wanted to taste everything, learn, discover, acquire new knowledge in my toolbox. Now I want to clean out my trunk. »
Like Sylvain
Since as we get older it is not uncommon for us to resemble our parents, Bruno recognizes his father Sylvain in this inability to stay still. The one who is also his neighbor is not in the habit of rocking while watching time pass.
“He doesn’t get much pleasure from doing nothing. I came back from RDS around 11 p.m. last winter and my father was watering the ice rink with the heated gloves we gave him. When I’m off, spending the day watching Netflix I see as a big waste of time. I’d rather go climb a mountain or clean the house. »
The 67-year-old father incorporated two weeks before leaving the job market, a vision that pleases his son. “In my head, there is no retirement. It’s more about moving from one project to another. I’m lucky to be able to do this. »
Quickly, the idea of slowing down once again emerged as the resolution of the moment.
“In my head I find that I am too old, too often. We must return to childhood despite our age. I don’t have many light-hearted moments. »
We bet that the golf trip with friends planned for next month to mark his 40th birthday will allow him to let go of his madness!
Advice from a forty-year-old
To players like Joshua Roy and Logan Mailloux who experience the disappointment of being demoted?
You need to put your ego aside. Those who succeed are those who are willing to sprint, even if they don’t know where the finish line is. I remember David Desharnais getting drafted from Bridgeport in the AHL. He had an exceptional career because he continued to build on his strengths.
To players like Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen who are hanging on to stay with the big club?
If you slow down, someone will pass you. Sprint! At some point in your life you’re going to think you’ve arrived and that’s the worst feeling you can have. This is where you become a bad contract and get cut.
To a player like David Savard who is slowly getting closer to retirement?
To savor it because there is no better job on the planet. What he is experiencing now, he will spend the rest of his life trying to rediscover. My father told me, “Play until someone takes the skates off your feet. You’re going to have been at the limit of what you could do.” The guys I’ve known who quit because the timing was right, they always end up regretting it.
How old are you in your head?
Sometimes I’m 12 and other times I’m 108.
RDS still brings me a bit of that. I arrive prepared, but I arrive and I chat about the game with Benoit (Brunet) or Denis (Gauthier). I return to the locker room. We fool around a little in front of the screen, we have fun, it’s light. It feels good in my life. Guys who play until 38-39 years old, that’s why. You remain a child. You see people your age on the job market, it’s been serious for too long.
