At this time last year, Pier-Olivier Lestage was trying to heal in the shadows.
Posted at 1:36 a.m.
Updated at 5:00 a.m.
In the final game of the season, which had no impact on the standings, the offensive lineman suffered a grade 3 torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee when a Hamilton Tiger-Cats player sagging on the side of its joint.
Despite hard and almost desperate work in rehabilitation, his leg did not recover quickly enough. He therefore missed the playoffs and the opportunity to see his name engraved on the Gray Cup.
A tormented period followed for Lestage. Period during which he was torn between the desire to celebrate with his brothers in arms and the desire to step aside out of pride at not having fully contributed to the triumph.
Read the article “Pier-Olivier Lestage: the one who doesn’t have his name on the Gray Cup”
Before the last game of the current season, played against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Percival-Molson Stadium two weeks ago, Lestage hoped for two things: to win and above all not to relive the same nightmare. The team lost by one point, but Lestage escaped unscathed.
“I may have had a little thought about that the day before, but on the day of the match, it wasn’t on my mind,” recalled the player from Saint-Eustache at the end of the team’s first training session. last week.
To avoid being affected or influenced by his unfortunate experience, Lestage tried to clear all doubts from his mind.
I didn’t take any precautions, assures Lestage. Of course I thought about it, but I tried not to think about it too much, because it’s when you think about it that things like that happen.
Pier-Olivier Lestage
Like a tightrope walker imagining himself losing his balance or an actor seeing himself forgetting his lines on the stage.
A few days before the Eastern final, the Alouettes star player is playing without the slightest physical problem. He still wears a splint as a precaution, but he wears a big smile at the idea of finally being able to hit the dance floor for the big fall ball.
“It’s rare that you have time to think about what happened last year. I’m happy to be healthy and I’m ready to face any challenge and, above all, ready to win a Gray Cup. »
Precaution and improvement
Since his arrival in the nest, Lestage has occupied a key role within the offensive line. A true general, the left guard stood out again this season by playing in all 18 games for his team.
The title of offensive lineman par excellence of the Alouettes, determined by vote by representatives of the media and members of the organization, was also awarded to him.
According to Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, the coach responsible for the offensive line, Lestage’s ability to save on his movements and move more intelligently explains his success and its impact on the team’s progress.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The coach responsible for the offensive line of the Montreal Alouettes, Luc Brodeur-Jourdain
The former glory of the Alouettes notably returned to a conversation that he and his heir had held at the end of the last season. “We had discussions about the technical level, how to position your knees in your blocks. »
In a very technical way, Brodeur-Jourdain explains that Lestage “had a tendency to arch and put stress on the internal collateral ligament”, thus reducing the quality of his movement and increasing the risk of injury.
P.-O. worked hard to keep good weight distribution on his legs. In his lateral movements, he maintains the correct posture. When defensive linemen employ the ram technique, there is an anchor point where his ligaments are less stressed than last year.
Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, coach responsible for the Alouettes offensive line
Using his former player’s eye, Brodeur-Jourdain can easily see why Lestage has become a problem for opposing teams: “He is a player who plays fast football and moves extremely well on the pitch. So when you’re active, when you’re constantly moving, when you’re not stationary, the odds are in your favor. »
He even mentions “an innate part in him: the aggressive factor to play a position like the offensive line”.
To win
Lestage emphasized it earlier, he wants to lift the Gray Cup at all costs. To achieve this, the Alouettes will have to survive the Eastern final against the Toronto Argonauts. “Of course I’m happy not to be injured. It’s fun, but it doesn’t change anything in the preparation, it remains the same,” he maintains, refusing to get carried away.
Like Lestage, Brodeur-Jourdain believes in the strength of the collective. An experienced collective, certainly, but which takes nothing for granted. Especially knowing how much the performance of quarterback Cody Fajardo will depend on the protection offered by his offensive line in the playoffs.
The Alouettes brilliantly rose to the challenge last year against the Argonauts in Toronto, with a 38-17 victory.
The difference this time?
“Expectations, but that’s all,” retorts Brodeur-Jourdain.
He is not talking here about “external expectations or the expectations of the organization”, he wants to clarify, but rather about their personal expectations.
“From the moment you win a championship, you lift the trophy, you tell yourself it’s over… And you immediately think about the next one. »
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