The best victory of the season

(Princeville) In sports leagues, there is always a team weaker than the others. But rarely does it sink as much as the current edition of the Princeville Titan, in the Junior AAA Hockey League in Quebec.

His file in mid-December? 0-27.

His goal differential? -181.

“I’m 38 years old, and as a coach, this is the first time I’ve experienced this,” confides head coach Guillaume St-Denis, behind the team’s bench since 2014.

This rout was not in the cards. After his summer recruitment, Guillaume St-Denis thought he was betting on one of the best teams in the league. Except that at training camp, everything fell apart, like dominoes falling in cascades. Fifteen players left. Many in the Maritimes and Western Canada. Two in the QMJHL. Two in the college league. Others suffered injuries or retired.

In a circuit that relies heavily on former M18 AAA and players cut from the QMJHL, the Titan has had to fall back on young people who played in the AA or in school hockey – and not always in the first division.

Consequence: repeated beatings.

13-3. 12-0. 11-0. 11-1. 11-2. 10-1.

“The start of the season was very difficult,” admits defender Charles Voyer. “After six or seven games, guys tired of losing gave up. But for others, these defeats united us.

—Why did you stay?

— Because for me, giving up is not a solution. The solution is to improve. »

Among those who remained was 20-year-old veteran Joey Blouin. He too expected better when he returned from Ontario to play his last junior season with his family. “We don’t get used to losing,” he confides. Every time, it hurts. It pinches. But you know what? All that pinching brought the guys who stayed closer together. I have already been part of very good teams in which there were cliques. Off the ice, things weren’t going well. »

Indeed, the atmosphere in the team headquarters is surprisingly festive for a club in last place. “These guys come to every practice. They are always on time,” says Guillaume St-Denis. It’s kind of the norm, isn’t it? “Hey boy, no. I have seen very good clubs in which there was more carelessness. The guys arrived 15 minutes before practice. This evening, there are 15 players who arrived before me! It shows that the guys want to learn and work. As a coach, it’s satisfying to see the guys walk through the arena door with a smile, even in a season like the one we’re having. »

Obviously, in this streak of 27 consecutive defeats, there were not only blue flower moments. There were more rock’n’roll chapters. Like this time when, after a particularly painful defeat, the lid of the pot blew. Veteran Charles Voyer stood up in the locker room to deliver a speech worthy of Jacques Mercier in Throw and count.

“I went crazy,” he admits frankly. “And when Charles gets angry, the others listen to him,” confirms his teammate Noah Larrivee.

“That day,” Charles continues, “there were guys who hadn’t worked enough. I told them that talent might not make us win, but if we worked harder it could.

—Have you ever given a speech like that before?

– No. It was the first time. I did it out of emotion. I’m not the most talented guy. I don’t put it online often. But I block shots. I play with intensity. Seeing other guys dragging their feet made me sweat. I was at the end of my rope. Maybe it took that to stir up a few. »

It wasn’t just at the arena that things were brewing. In town, too. In a metropolis like Montreal, the defeats of the Rangers or the Phoenix go unnoticed. But in Princeville, a small municipality which is part of the chain of towns between Drummondville and Quebec, the repeated thaws caused a reaction.

Supporters vented their anger on social networks. You should know that in junior AAA, spectators pay their entry ticket. However, hockey players, aged 17 to 20, are not paid to play. The criticism became intense enough that a player’s mother published an anonymous letter on the club’s media platforms.

“Hockey,” she recalls, “is not just a question of victory or defeat. It is a school of life where we learn to overcome obstacles, to work together and to grow in the face of challenges. Every effort you make today makes you stronger […] »

“Remember why you chose this sport: the passion, the team spirit, the desire to surpass yourself. Continue to play with heart, support your teammates and never give up. The path may be difficult, but it is also full of opportunities to progress and surpass yourself. Believe in yourself, keep fighting, and remember that every match is a new chance to show what you are capable of. »

This letter, unusual in a league of this caliber, changed the public discourse around the Titan.

On the ice, the Titan continued to suffer defeats. But the massacres have become less frequent. We started to see scores of 6-3 and 7-3. So much so that by mid-December, the prospect of victory was no longer a utopia.

On Sunday, December 15, Princeville hosted Laval at the Paul-de-la-Sablonnière Sports Center. “That morning,” remembers Guillaume St-Denis, “while leaving the house, I said to my girlfriend: “We have a lineup to win a match.” »

Nevertheless, his troop came from far away. In its two previous meetings against Laval, it had been outclassed 11-0.

The start of the game was intense. Five goals in the first period, three in the second. Through that, two major punishments, and a few more for roughness. But against all odds, after 40 minutes, the Titan was ahead 5-3.

“It was our best match of the year,” says Charles Voyer. We pulled, it went in. We were blocking shots. Our goalkeeper made the saves. The other team was hitting posts. »

It was also the first time this season that the Titan led after two periods, underlines Noah Larrivee. “The younger ones were stressed. We, the 19-20 year olds, kept telling them that the game wasn’t over yet. It could turn around. And in fact, we got back up to 5-5…”

The duel went to a shootout. Another unprecedented situation for the Titan this season. After two rounds it was 0-0. Captain Timothy St-Pierre, since traded, could give his team the lead. He lodged a laser between the goalkeeper’s pads. Princeville was just one stop away from causing an upset. Everything rested on the shoulder pads, the blocker and the glove of goalkeeper Loïc Potvin. The 19-year-old faced his 688^e shot of the season. This time, he had the upper hand on the opposing shooter. Titan victory, 6-5.

In the stands, the 200 spectators were screaming. On the ice, everyone was stunned.

“I didn’t realize what was happening,” says Noah Larrivee. I no longer remembered the feeling of victory! » “It was as if we had just won a tournament final when we were little,” says Guillaume St-Denis. “Without doubt the most satisfying victory of my career,” adds Joey Blouin.

And how did Charles Voyer, who had brewed the coconut palm a month earlier, feel?

“After 27 straight losses, it was like I had just won the Stanley Cup. It was a magical moment. I will remember it all my life. In the locker room, things were crazy. There was music. We were having fun. We sang. »

“When you lose 10-0, the room empties in 10 minutes,” explains Noah Larrivee. But there, a few guys stayed a good hour and a half after the match. We were really proud of ourselves. »

“This group,” insists Joey Blouin, “they give their maximum effort every time. It’s a gang of good guys. We all love each other. “And now, concludes Charles Voyer, “the guys know that by working, you can earn.”