Hall of Fame | Pierre Houde, “it’s a machine”

Pierre Houde is one of the most significant voices in the history of sport in Quebec. Now it’s the Hockey Hall of Fame’s turn to recognize him. After René Lecavalier, Richard Garneau and Gilles Tremblay, Houde will become the fourth Francophone to receive the Foster-Hewitt Prize, given annually to a member of the radio or television industry who has left “an extraordinary contribution to his profession and in hockey. The Press spoke with the analysts who worked with him.

Every game night at the Bell Centre, Pierre Houde observes the same ritual. Michel Lacroix, house announcer, and he sit down together and list the names of the players expected on the ice. The tradition has lasted for at least a quarter of a century, according to Lacroix.

“For moons!” believes Benoît Brunet. When you see that, you want to measure up next to him. »

Lacroix is ​​one of its resources. Colleague Zdenek Matejovsky, an adopted Quebecer, is another, especially for the Czechs and Slovaks. “We can’t always speak directly to the players, so Pierre will consult Zdenek to get the right pronunciation,” adds Marc Denis. And I try to stick to him as much as possible. »

From Tomas Plekanec to Jiri Sekac via Michael Nylander, Pierre Houde has always made it a point to pronounce the names of European players as faithfully as possible. These pronunciations are first of all winks between hockey fans, before passing into usage.

But for the analysts who worked with Houde, this is just one more example of his professionalism.

The preparation

Benoît Brunet analyzed the Canadiens’ games alongside Pierre Houde from 2008 to 2011. At the time, he recalls, RDS held both the local rights to the Canadiens and the national rights to the NHL. The duo therefore played the 82 games of the season as well as the playoffs.

“The year of Halak [2010]we had done the three rounds of the Canadian in addition to the final in Chicago and Philadelphia. I spent more time with Pierre and the techs than with my wife! », remembers Brunet.

Where Houde excelled the most? “The way he prepares. I did everything by hand, but Pierre worked with tights. Each trio, each player had their tights. His notes were ready. »

This is also what struck Marc Denis. “He has a file for each team. It’s fascinating to see him go, testifies the former goalkeeper. When we receive the standout schedule, it prepares for the 80 players invited to the Devils and Flyers camp. When the Canadian played against [Aleksei] Kolosov, he probably had a note on him from the 2021 World Championship!

“A third of the notes I have on players don’t go on air. Pierre, maybe 10% don’t go! There is not a flight where he does not update his database. »

Pro tips

Unlike the late Yvon Pedneault, our three analysts are former players who each learned the ropes of television alongside Pierre Houde.

“For me, it’s my flow. Even today, I tend to lose my temper, Denis admits. With a wave of his hand, he will bring me back. »

Pierre Bouchard only had short experiences on the air, notably during intermissions and on the radio, before becoming an analyst at RDS. “He was very good for me, he gave a chance to someone who didn’t have the experience. »

From Houde, Bouchard learned “when to keep a second of silence.” “If something happened, instead of trying to be filler, he would show me not to speak, to show the seriousness of the moment. And he added humor, he opened the door so that we could introduce a little. The description of a hockey match is not the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. You can relax a little! »

Today, 35 years after his arrival on the air at RDS, Pierre Houde joins the greatest in his profession. He does this, it should be remembered, while continuing the description of F1, as well as the animation of The antechamber part-time.

This is why Brunet emphasizes “his longevity, his energy”. “To do this at his age, to travel, to be prepared, I take my hat off to him. It is not for nothing that he enters the Temple. Plus, he made the Olympics this summer. It’s a machine. I don’t have that energy! »