THE TOAST OF MONTREAL
Captain Marie-Philip Poulin shows off the Clarkson Cup at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard on Wednesday. Most of her Canadiennes teammates were on hand as they celebrated winning the Canadian Women’s Hockey League title this weekend.
Caroline Ouellette took a dig at Quebec’s francophone media Wednesday while celebrating Les Canadiennes’ victory in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League final.
The veteran forward wondered why the final Sunday in Ottawa, which drew a record audience for the CWHL on English television, was not broadcast by a Frenchlanguage network.
“Sometimes we feel we’re making headway, but I don’t see why they can’t also show our game on TV in French,” she said.
“We’re proud to be francophone Quebecers and we’d love to have the Clarkson Cup final on TV where our families and friends can see it.”
Les Canadiennes defeated Calgary 3-1 in the final, avenging a loss to the Inferno in last year’s championship game.
The lack of French TV was the only beef Ouellette had about an otherwise successful season for the league and her team, which was formerly called the Stars, but changed its name after forming a partnership with the NHL’s Canadiens.
The deal brought new exposure to the team, including a game at Bell Centre and some others before large crowds at the Habs’ suburban training centre.
“Our crowds have been growing every season,” she said.
“We played in front of more than 6,000 at the Bell Centre, a moment I’ll never forget.
“But it’s a bit of a vicious circle. We need media to bring people in and we need to bring people in so media gets interested. It’s the same with sponsors, which will be the difference in whether our league succeeds and thrives.”
Ouellette, 37, would not say if she will be back next season. The winner of four Olympic gold medals and five world championships will be an assistant coach for Canada at the worlds beginning March 31 in Plymouth, Mich., and hopes to go into coaching full time one day.
Most of the squad turned out to the team’s packed news conference, including national team members Marie-Philip Poulin and Lauriane Rougeau. The team will also be feted at a Canadiens game March 14 against Chicago. Poulin, who scored the winning goals at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, potted a brace in the Clarkson Cup final as well.
That capped a season in which she tied for the CWHL scoring lead, was named league MVP and won the Jayna Hefford Award as the top player as voted by her peers. She has won Olympic, world championship and Clarkson Cup titles.
“This one was pretty special,” said Poulin.