The severity of Philip Danault’s injury is unknown. All we know is that he suffered an upper body injury and returned to Montreal. Obviously, his absence on Saturday night in Toronto will leave a huge hole in the Habs midfield. but that is not all.
Also read: Possible absence of Danault: “Our positions must go up” – Nick Suzuki
Also read: Danault is also in the infirmary
Danault’s pack will mean that for the first time in more than a century of history, the Canadian will have no players from Quebec in his training.
Unless, of course, Alex Bilziel is called in to replace Dannault. Which would be surprising. The reinforcement will likely come from Michael Frolick, who took charge recently during Thomas Tatar’s absence.
It was Stefan LaBerge, the famous statistician, who raised the flag Friday morning on his Twitter account. According to research by Le Journal, this will indeed be a first.
From Didier Peter to Danault, including George Vizzina, Silvio Mantha, Walter Boswell, Jean Bellevue, Henry Richard, Vincent Dambus or David Descharney, there has always been at least one Quebec player in training.
With Québécois, we identify hockey players who were born or raised in La Belle County. We are not talking strictly about French speakers.
Doug Harvey? It is necessary. Tory Mitchell? It is necessary. Benoit Polliot? This does not count. Aurèle Joliat and no. You see the principle. It is not a matter of language.
Than a dime a dozen
With the opening of the road by Emile Bouchard and Maurice Richard, this was the aphrodisiac for the housing confinement of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. It must be said that the Montreal team was, so to speak, in control of the entire territory of Quebec. Moreover, in the draft of 1968 and 1969, she had an exclusivity of the two most beautiful talents trained in Quebec.
Even if these privileges were taken from him, the residence foreclosures managed to ride this wave until the end of the 1970s in the presence of Jacques Lemerre, Evan Cornoyer, Jay La Pointe and Serge Savard.
The latter, who became director-general, had a very clear policy on this subject during his 12-year stay in the president’s seat: to give young men a chance. What the Nordic was doing, even before they joined the NHL.
Weakened the Quebec delegation with his orders? Eighth during the 1986-87 season. Barring this campaign, Savard has never seen fewer than 10 Quebecers play in his locker room.
In 1990-1991 there were even 19 of them, obviously many of them were only passing, but normal workouts still usually comprise more than half a dozen.
The end of Bob Jenny’s reign and the beginning of Pierre Gaultier’s reign marked a clear cut. From eight Quebecers in 2008-2009, the Canadian went to three in four seasons.
A reflection of the era
Some might say CH doesn’t play any player who grew up under the bell center, it sounds weird. Effective way. But it’s a bit of a reflection of our day.
This season, 53 Quebec players (excluding goalkeepers Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Bernier) have played at least one National Hockey League match.
Of these, 33 have donned their uniforms for at least half of their team’s matches. This was true, on average, for the past 10 seasons. With an average of 32.6.
Emily Thompson is a contributor at Vaughantoday.ca, covering a wide range of topics including local news, politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on clear, accurate reporting that helps readers stay informed about current events and developments that matter to their community. Her work emphasizes useful information, balanced coverage, and stories that reflect the interests, concerns, and everyday experiences of readers across Canada.