What happened to them a few months later?

I’m (a little) picky.

On my work table are four notebooks. One gray, one yellow, one orange and one multicolor. Soon there will be a fifth. A red one. The one who accompanied me everywhere on the field during the last year.

I am reaching the end of its pages. Before tableting it, I reread it one last time, to make sure I hadn’t forgotten any topics in the margins. This was the case. Stories deserved an update, a few months after the publication of a column. Back on eight of them, before buying a notebook in a new color.

Pink Palettes

The story : In the winter of 2023, hockey players from a garage league in the Laurentians left to play half a dozen games in Europe, like the Boys in the second film in the series. Their journey ended in France, with a match in front of 900 spectators.

Today : The Palettes roses – that’s their name – have the wind in their sails. In the last year, they went from 61 regular players to more than a hundred. That’s without counting the replacements. There are so many of them that it becomes complicated to organize a big trip in which everyone could participate. Nevertheless, “Banff, Las Vegas, Hawaii and the Scandinavian countries still make us dream,” confides one of the group’s pioneers, Véronique Dubé.

They themselves are a dream. Their mini-palette program, which is aimed at young girls in the region, now has 85 players. The community involvement of the Palettes roses earned them a selection at the Égale-Action gala for sports organization of the year, as well as congratulations from two of their idols, Caroline Ouellette and Marie-Philip Poulin.

The Soulanges Sports Center

The story : In November 2023, the City of Saint-Polycarpe threatened to close its old arena if the nine neighboring municipalities refused to participate financially in the renovations.

Today : Elected officials from the Soulanges region have agreed to save the next hockey and figure skating season. Beyond ? “We have not yet reached the end,” explains the mayor of Saint-Polycarpe, Jean-Yves Poirier. The mayors want to create an intermunicipal authority to manage the project. They are waiting for the green light from the 10 municipal councils. An important meeting is planned for this Thursday evening. “We hope that there will be an agreement,” says Mr. Poirier. If the principle is accepted, it will then remain to negotiate the financial contribution of each city.

Thomas Fafard

The story : In May, runner Thomas Fafard smashed his best time in the 5000m by 26 seconds. At the same time, he broke the Quebec record and came within just seven hundredths of a second of the Olympic standard for the Paris Games.

Today : Since then, Thomas Fafard has established another Quebec record. That of the 3000 m. It is now at 39^e world rank. The 42 best will be able to run the 5000m at the Paris Olympic Games. “Basically, he increased his chances of qualifying,” says his coach, Félix-Antoine Lapointe. “Afterwards, it will depend on what the other athletes do in the next two weeks. » Fafard will have one last opportunity to improve his candidacy during the Canadian Olympic Trials next week in Montreal.

Hockey without borders

The story : In April, I told the story of the Quebec organization Hockey Without Borders, which allows coaches to teach hockey in countries lacking expertise and resources, such as Serbia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. All this voluntarily.

Today : Hockey Without Borders will announce in the coming days the communities it will help in 2024-2025. Several positions will need to be filled, specifies co-founder Jonathan Gautier. At the same time, Daniel Jacob, from the Syracuse Crunch, and Stéphanie Poirier, from Hockey Québec, will host an online training session this Thursday evening for Ukrainian coaches. Hockey Without Borders finally wants to deploy its new leadership program in September.

Samuel Laberge

The story : On November 30, Samuel Laberge participated in his first NHL game. A Disney story. Four years ago, he was building sidewalks in Châteauguay during the week and playing with the Sorel-Tracy Éperviers, in the North American Hockey League, on the weekends.

Today : His stay in the NHL was short: two games, six minutes of play. The New Jersey Devils, however, loved his energy and his leadership. They rewarded him this spring with a new one-year, two-way contract that could pay him $775,000 if he spends next season in the NHL.

Triptych of Cycles Régis

The story : Last September, a new bike race attracted hundreds of spectators along Laurier Avenue West, in the Outremont borough, in Montreal. A great success. This competition was the idea of ​​Charles Huot, a former high-level cyclist who wanted to make a concrete gesture to give back to his community.

Today : Things are still going strong in Outremont! A race was held at the end of May in the MIL campus area of ​​the University of Montreal, and another is planned for September 16, on Laurier Avenue West. “We went to collect money from existing sponsors,” says Charles Huot. Montreal and its institutions have everything to gain from supporting developers who, like Charles, energize life in our neighborhoods.

Marie-France Castillo

The story : In May, Marie-France Castillo became the first woman to manage an U17 AAA men’s team, the highest caliber in baseball for players under 17 in Quebec.

Today : His Marquis de Montréal currently occupy fourth place on the circuit, out of 10 teams. The team is preparing for the mid-season tournament which will be presented at Gary-Carter stadium and the Claude-Robillard sports complex this weekend.

The Cattarinich Trophy

The story : In January, I recounted my quest to find the Joseph-Cattarinich trophy, formerly awarded to the French-Canadian athlete of the year, then to the most notable hockey personality in the province. Since its auction in 2009, the trophy has disappeared from public view.

Today : You suggested several promising avenues to me, both in Quebec and in the United States and Switzerland. Unfortunately, the mystery is still unsolved. The rest, if there is one, will be written in the next notebook.

Dubois: the calculated risk of Capitals

A quick word on the transaction that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Los Angeles Kings to the Washington Capitals, in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Yes, Dubois had a dismal season. Yes, he will carry with him a huge contract for the next seven seasons. Except that it remains an interesting bet for the Capitals.

For what ?

Because Washington needs attackers – and fast. Alexander Ovechkin is 38 years old. Nicklas Backström, injured, has 37. TJ Oshie, too. The Caps’ top prospects, like Hendrix Lapierre, will need mentors to lean on to produce on offense. Dylan Strome? Great. Except that he won’t be able to play on all four lines for the next five years.

Dubois, who turns 26 this week, will take advantage of a tremendous opportunity to relaunch his career. He will have plenty of quality playing time, particularly in numerical superiority, with the best elements of the club.

It’s up to him to make his new bosses look good, who have space under the salary cap to absorb his contract, and who could afford to let Darcy Kuemper go. Let’s be real: at 34 years old, Kuemper had no chance of being the starting goalie when the Caps’ next window opens, in a few years.