“It’s yours, Felix” | The Press

Félix Séguin remembers October 8, 2014 in great detail.

At the start of the 2014-2015 season, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 4-3.

This day also marked Félix Séguin’s first match as the Canadian’s official describer on the TVA Sports channel. It was the chance of a lifetime. And above all the realization of his biggest dream.

“A lot of nervousness,” he replies when asked what comes to mind when he thinks about this significant experience.

“There was a lot of pressure. I was super ready, you can’t imagine how ready! The biggest challenge that day was managing emotions. Looking back, I can say that maybe I didn’t handle them well. I’m able to recognize it, but it’s part of who I am. It’s learning. »

Séguin, on this Monday in November, joins us at the CN training complex. On the footbridge, between the two rinks of the complex, the commentator and father of three children will speak for almost an hour during a rare interview.

Even if he plays in the spotlight every Saturday evening, Séguin prefers the shadows to the light. “My life revolves around my partner and my three children. »

During the photo session, with our photographer Martin Chamberland, Séguin feels that he attracts the attention of the spectators. “You see, I like that less,” he says, laughing nervously.

A surprising remark, given that he always dreamed of being in front of a camera lens.

“When I was 10, I told my parents that I wanted to describe hockey games. And today, at 44, I make my living from it. »

For him, “it was never a question of being popular”, but rather “loving what [qu’il] did[t] “. “I deeply love game hockey. I want to highlight athletes and this sport. »

L’ambition

Already in Eastman, where he grew up, Séguin marveled at the image box. On the one hand, thanks to the prowess of the Canadiens and the Quebec Nordiques players. On the other hand, thanks to the eloquence and relevance of Richard Garneau.

Séguin decries Garneau as his model. An everyday inspiration he met during the London Olympics in 2012, while Séguin was covering diving.

“For me, it was Mr. Garneau’s humility that struck me. I was sitting next to him on the transport, trying to ask him questions. He responded politely, but he responded by bombarding me with questions about myself, to get to know me. I couldn’t believe it. How could such a great man be so humble. »

But before traveling in the same shuttle as his idol through the streets of the English capital, he made “decisions throughout [sa] life to achieve [son] objective of being the descriptor of the Canadian,” he explains, and to try to reproduce in his own way what Richard Garneau did.

Even if, in absolute terms, there was little chance that Séguin would be able to realize his dream, due to the exceptional nature of the coveted position, “no one could have [l]’stop believing [qu’il était] able to do it. It was impossible. »

In high school, he studied science to broaden his horizons and improve his academic record, even though he was “not very good.”

At CEGEP, he studied in English. “Because I didn’t speak English and I knew I had to speak it if I wanted to do this. »

He then took the road to Abitibi, six hours from home. “I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t know the region. But I wanted to learn so that, one day, I could return to Montreal with baggage. »

television

For three years, he worked in the Foreurs and Huskies region on CJMV and in the TVC9 studios describing LJHMQ matches.

Then, in 2004, he joined the Sports Network as an editor-journalist.

“It was something super important. It was the only sports station at that time. I was trusted enormously on important projects,” he recalls.

By writing the texts for the bulletins of Chantal Machabée, Frédéric Plante and Marc Labrecque, “I was allowed to develop. I’ve touched everything. That’s where I really understood how the world of TV worked.”

One thing led to another and he climbed the ranks, until he described his first game in April 2008. A duel between the San Jose Sharks and the Calgary Flames.

“It happened quickly,” he recalls.

Until he was told “it’s your turn” in his headset, on the bridge of the Air Canada Center, on October 11, 2014, for the Canadian’s first match on the TVA Sports channel.

“I was very nervous. Anxious. The heart beats at 100 miles an hour. And I knew everyone was watching. Everyone wanted to see what we had to offer. »