Scout for the Los Angeles Kings, winners of the last Stanley Cup, Jérôme Denis Fugère invited hockey fans to his residence on Monday to allow them to be photographed with the precious trophy. Hundreds responded to his invitation.
Already at 5.30 p.m., thirty minutes before Mr. Fugère’s scheduled arrival with the Cup, a horde of hockey fans, young and old, were lining up in front of 369 25th avenue in Saint-Jérôme. For most of those present, it was a first “encounter” with the trophy considered by several experts to be the most difficult to win in professional sport.
“I am 66 years old and I had never had the chance to see the Stanley Cup in real life,” said Carole Ménard, only a few seconds before immortalizing this historic moment. “We saw the invitation in the newspaper and wanted to show my son the Cup,” said Robert Collin of Mirabel. “I can’t wait to see the Cup! “Added little William Baribeau who, accompanied by his father Robert, was impatiently awaiting his turn.
“I wanted to be here to see the Cup of course, but especially to congratulate Denis Fugère,” said Charles Langlois, who had traveled from Saint-Sauveur with his little guy Vincent-Xavier to attend the event. When you are a recruiter and your team comes out a big winner in the playoffs, he continued, it is that you have to do your <I> job <I> well! ”
A second time in three years
Since this is the second time in three seasons that the Kings have won the Stanley Cup, it is also the second time in the same period that Denis Fugère has had the opportunity to keep the Cup at home for a few hours .
“If the first time was special, the second is as much!” Launched Mr. Fugère a few seconds after placing the Cup on a table placed on the ground in front of his house. You dream of winning the Cup. When it happens to you for the first time, you don’t realize it. But then, I realize that our team won it a second time. I never believed it could happen. Youppi! “He exclaimed.
At the first opportunity, in September 2012, the Jérôme scout had chosen to invite players from the Panthères de Saint-Jérôme to play a friendly ball hockey game outside his home. They then allowed the winning team to lift the trophy. This time, he wanted to share this moment with the whole population.
“If I had had the time, my goal was to invite two teams in the novice category, but due to the draft which took place last weekend, I was pressed for time. I am however happy to see that so many people have moved. “
Few Quebeckers
In addition to Luc Robitaille, who has spent most of his 19-year NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings and who now holds a position on the 2nd floor of this organization, Quebecers are becoming rare in California.
Unless a transaction would bring a Quebec native player with the Kings, this data is not likely to change anytime soon.
Nicolas Deslauriers, who played with the Buffalo Sabers last season, and Jean-François Bérubé, who never kicked in the NHL, are the last Quebecers to be drafted by this team. It was in 2009.
There was goalkeeper Jonathan Bernier, drafted by the Kings in 2006 and who played a full season in 2012-2013 before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but otherwise, no Quebecer, or even a European from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League was not selected by Los Angeles in the last draft.
“It is certainly disappointing, to say Denis Fugère when questioned on this subject, but we passed very close this year to select a Québécois. However when the time comes for the organization to make a choice, nationality, language and color do not matter. Is he a good hockey player? Can we develop it? These are the questions we ask ourselves. “
