Gauthier's gaffe.

Once again, we find ourselves in the midst of a language debate. And once again the two solitudes are deeply divided along their traditional lines. On the one hand, anglophones seem to be saying, «here we go again, Quebec is never happy», on the other hand, francophones seem to be saying «here we go again, our language is not respected». We all know the tune. It hasn't really changed over the last few centuries. 

Except that this newest episode of our continuing language soap opera could have been avoided altogether, if only Pierre Gauthier, Montreal Canadiens general manager (for now) had shown a little cultural awareness and a little plain common sense.

A quick recap of events...

Last Saturday morning Gauthier fired Jacques Martin as head coach and replaced him with Randy Cunneyworth. At the best of times, any firing/hiring of Habs bench boss sets off a firestorm of controversy. 

But this time things are different. Almost no discussion about whether or not placing Cunneyworth behind the bench improves the Habs' chances of winning. What has all the analysts talking is the fact that the new bench boss doesn't speak French. And the fact that Gauthier was not able to see this coming, or foresaw it and chose to ignore it, shows that he may not be the man to manage the Montreal Canadiens.

Very few, if any, institutions enjoy the universal appeal and approval that the Montreal Canadiens do in Quebec. From Rouyn to Rimouski, from Gatineau to Gaspé, the Habs rule. They are at the center of most of our discussions, and the public mood can be measured in their winning and losing. As a brand, it is among the most valuable commodities in this province.This is what makes the appoinment of a unilingual anglophone figurehead all the more perplexing.

For an organization such as the Montreal Canadiens, and by extension Molson's, to be so out of tune with their market is quite simply baffling. It seems a question of simple logic that in a region where the vast majority of fans speak French, you'd want the person whom you choose to lead your team to be able to communicate with the people who ultimately pay the bills. One does not need to be a marketing genius to know that you must cater to your clientele. If they want a French speaking coach, give them a French speaking coach.

To make matters worse, Gauthier hasn't exactly helped ingratiate himself with the Habs faithful on a couple of fronts since deciding to go ahead with the Cunneyworth nomination. When pressed on his coach's lack of ability to speak French, Gauthier blurted; «A language can be learned». Ah yes, nothing like a smart-ass answer to make friends with the media mob. 

Even if Cunneyworth did find the time to take language courses amidst his hours spent trying to make a winner out of this hockey club, we all know that he is years away from being able to field questions from the likes of Réjean Tremblay and Bertrand Raymond in French. Plus it's not as if the English speaking Habs have a long history of learning French...

That it appears as though Gauthier didn't contact Patrick Roy about the position also irks many. Strictly from a coaching point of view, Cunneyworth's resume, is at least as impressive as Roy's. He has a winning record as a head coach in the American Hockey League, where he worked for 8 seasons, and was an assistant coach in the NHL with both Atlanta and Montreal.

But Patrick Roy is Patrick Roy, and love him or hate him, he holds a special place in the hearts of Habs fans. None of the last two Montreal Stanley Cups would have been possible without him, and as part-owner and coach of the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts, he is omnipresent in the media. 

The fact that it appears as though fences between the Hall-of-Famer and the Habs have been mended since it was decided to retire Roy's number 33 to its rightful place high up in the Bell Center's rafters, has also given cause for his admirers to hope that he will one day return as the team's coach.

But be it Patrick Roy, or whomever else, you can bet your bottom dollar that the next Montreal Canadiens coach will be able to communicate in French. What isn't so sure is whether Pierre Gauthier will still be around to hire him.

On Pat Hickey and Theo Fleury.

- It's something that I really don't like talking about, and it's something that most people don't like hearing about, so I'll make it quick.

I was abused as a kid. And like most everybody to which this has happened, it fucked me up. I went through the gamut of emotions, both at the time and over the years since. Fear, shame, anger, confusion... It robbed me of my spirit and left me struggling with mental health issues to this day.

And like Theo Fleury, Sheldon Kennedy, and the thousands of other victims out there, I didn't go to the authorities immediately. In fact, I didn't tell anybody for about 25 years. Maybe I should have. I don't know. But I didn't.

I was about 11 or 12 when it happened, hardly an age at which I was equipped with the tools necessary to deal with this, so I simply withdrew. Like the vast majority of people who go through these kinds of things do.

I got a chance to deal with it somewhat over the years. It has obviously come up as a topic in therapy, and that has at least got me to the point where the fear, shame, and confusion have for the most part been put to rest. As for the anger, well, I guess it'll always be there.

Bumping into my abuser some 25 years after the fact, while in my hometown on holidays, proved weirdly therapeutic in my case. Because I wasn't a little kid anymore. I was a man. An angry man.

Getting to poke my finger in his chest and look him in the eye, and see the fear as I told him, just loud enough for those nearby to hear, «I could kick the living shit out of you right here, right now, and get away with it», gave me some measure of relief.

I sometimes wish I had at least taken one good swing. Knock him on his ass. But in the end I just tell myself that I'm the better man and there's no sense even getting into it.

- So it is from this perspective that I look at the kerfuffle that Pat Hickey has created surrounding a column he recently wrote in regards to Theo Fleury, Sheldon Kennedy, and Graham James.

In his column Mr. Hickey accuses Mr. Fleury of enabling Graham James in his pedophile activities by owning a junior hockey team with James as its coach.

This does raise an interesting question from a legal standpoint.

Let's say, for argument's sake, that I was a player on the Calgary Hitmen, and I was the victim of sexual abuse by Graham James. Would I have a case against Mr. Fleury? (I don't know if there were, or weren't any victims that fit this definition. I haven't followed the story that closely.) After all, he knew what James was like with young boys.

So in this sense, I guess I do understand what Mr. Hickey is saying about enabling. But that's not for he or I to deal with. I'm sure that if Theo Fleury got wind of any Hitmen players being victimized he would stand up and do what is right. That is the expectation.

The part of the column that bothers me the most is the way in which Mr. Hickey puts Mr. Fleury up against Sheldon Kennedy, another victim of Graham James during their years in junior hockey.

Mr. Hickey comes to the conclusion that, for reasons he expounded upon, somehow Mr. Kennedy is a better victim that Mr. Fleury. That's the part that offends me. A victim is a victim is a victim.

That Mr. Fleury blasted the legal system in a press conference following the release on bail of Graham James until his next appearance also seems to rub Mr. Hickey the wrong way. Well, Theo Fleury has an absolute right to speak his mind. It's his right both as a victim and as a citizen. Free speech. Just as it is Mr. Hickey's right to express his opinions, no matter if we think it's in bad taste.

Now, I don't know if Mr. Hickey should be fired or reprimanded by his employers, and quite frankly I don't really care either way. I can't say that I've been a great fan of his writing over the years, so he's leaving or staying is of little or no consequence to me as a sports media consumer.

I do however feel, that Mr. Hickey at the very least owes Mr. Fleury an apology. The column was very insensitive towards Mr. Fleury, a man who clearly has suffered deeply from the abuse suffered when just a boy. It was also disturbing to readers who have themselves been abused. At least it was to me.

Just apologize Mr. Hickey. It's what a man would do.