Again, the show The anteroom has shown how much his model is exceeded.
After the frustrating defeat of the Canadian (4-2), where the team clearly did not show up, one could have expected a nuanced and constructive analysis.
But no. What we had was once again the same circus of “grumpy mononcles” which only shit, in a loop, without bringing any added value to the discussion.
The most astonishing in this edition is the unanimity of the speech: according to them, Lane Hutson was the main guilty of defeat.
Guy Carbonneau, faithful to himself in his role as “grumpy par excellence”, opened the ball by criticizing the young defender without restraint.
And as a contagion effect, Gaston Therrien, Carbo and even Denis Gauthier chained, taking up the same chorus: Hutson was tired, he did not shoot the net, he should not have been on the digital advantage this evening … and The miracle solution, according to them, would have been to make more room for Mike Matheson.
This kind of simplistic and reducing analysis is symptomatic of a deeper problem in RDS. The network seems unable to renew itself and modernize its approach.
Once again, The anteroom has become a court where young players are the first to be pointed out.
Tonight, Lane Hutson was the main target, and Gaston Therrien was the most virulent in her criticism.
One can imagine how this kind of comment could frustrate the supporters. Hutson is however the best player in CH, a player in full ascent who, like any athlete, can experience more difficult matches. But rather than recognizing this, the anteroom preferred to make a scapegoat.
It is a scheme that is constantly repeated. As soon as a young player goes through a more difficult period, he becomes the easy target of the show.
Gaston Therrien even went so far as to express his concerns for Hutson by the end of the season, insinuating that the young defender could collapse under pressure.
An approach which, instead of encouraging and supporting young people, only feeds the discontent of amateurs.
The real discomfort this evening is not the defeat of the Canadian, but indeed this constant heaviness imposed by the anteroom.
Supporters want renewal, an analysis that reflects the reality of modern hockey, not a frozen discourse in the past where veterans are always glorified to the detriment of young people.
It may be time for RDS to wonder if this format does not contribute to their decline. As long as the show is not modernizing, as long as it continues to recycle the same worn criticism, it will continue to keep its audience away.
While hockey enthusiasts are looking for younger analyzes, less past date, based on advanced statistics and refreshing perspectives, the anteroom continues to offer the same paternalistic and outdated tone.
And then they wonder why the listening codes collapse and why the subscribers desert en masse.
Let’s be honest: Canadian supporters are not stupid. They want relevant content, expanded analyzes, not a public outing filled with unjust clichés and criticism targeting young talents.
As long as RDS does not rejuvenate his speech and his staff, they will continue to dig their own media grave.
What frustrated the supporters after this defeat against the wings is not so much the defeat of the Canadian, but the unfairly relentlessness of analysts on Lane Hutson.
Especially since earlier in the week, it was Ivan Demidov who ended up in the sights of network analysts.
-Gaston Therrien, faithful to his style, launched a warning by declaring that it was not necessary to expect that Demidov is an instant prodigy in Montreal, adding that his game will not be easily transposed from KHL to NHL.
A speech which, obviously, contrasts with the overflowing enthusiasm of amateurs, who see in Demidov a prodigy from next season (AVEXC reason).
Benoît Brunet, always ready to go in the direction of the dominant wind on the plateau, added oil to the fire, arguing that Demidov will not be dominant upon his arrival in the NHL.
But this skeptical, even condescending attitude, of DRS to young talents is seriously beginning to irritate supporters.
Why this systematic contempt for hopes and new generations?
Is it a simple reflex of disillusioned veterans or the reflection of a network stuck in another era, unable to adapt to the new realities of hockey and sports diffusion?
While young people like Hutson and Demidov embody the radiant future of the Canadian, ready to redefine the future of the team, RDS and its traditional television resemble an institution on the artificial respirator.
Far from being an engine of enthusiasm, the network seems rather to slow down the passion of supporters with its outdated analyzes and its refusal to embrace change.
Perhaps this is the key to the problem: by attacking young players, RDS desperately seeks to preserve a relevance that he is losing.
But the public is not naive. It turns more and more towards other platforms, towards modern, refreshing and in line analyzes with the current reality of hockey.
As long as RDS persists in repeating the same speeches of the old weather and to lower the young talents, he will only accelerate his own disappearance of the Quebec media landscape.
An additional proof that hockey evolves … but not RDS.
One wonders if Gaston Therrien looks at the same hockey as us. His relentlessness on Lane Hutson and his exaggerated distrust of Ivan Demidov raise questions about his ability to assess the talent with accuracy.
Did he become blind to the point of no longer seeing the obvious impact of Hutson in the Canadian’s game? Is it unable to perceive the raw talent of Demidov, or is it simply an obstinate refusal to accept that hockey is evolving and that young people of today no longer need to go through a linear course for S ‘ impose?
The problem with Therrien – and with RDS in general – is that they are trapped in a mentality of another time, where veterans were always right and where young people had to prove their value for years before receiving the lesser credit.
But today’s reality is very different. Hutson, despite his more difficult games, remains an exceptional defender in the making, and Demidov, although he has not yet played a NHL match, already has the tools to succeed at a very high level.
Perhaps he is simply unable to see beyond his own prejudices.
As long as this attitude persists, it will only widen the gap between RDS and hockey enthusiasts,
If therrien can no longer see the evolution of the game, then maybe it is time for him-and for the whole anteroom-to take their reverence and give way to a new generation of analysts capable of fully appreciating What these young people bring to hockey today.
It was to wonder if he has lost his sight.
