Splitting hairs with Menard
Lions lineman talks about his hometown, his long locks and his love of beer
With the B.C. Lions heading for Calgary and a showdown with the Stampeders in Sunday’s West final, David Menard and his teammates are now one win away from a spot in the Grey Cup.
To get there, though, the third-year defensive lineman and the Leos’ defence have to find a way to keep Stamps quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell in check.
Menard tuned up for the challenge by going one-on-one with Jeff Paterson in this week’s Q&A. They discussed vegetables, long hair, craft beer and what really goes on at the bottom of the pile along the line of scrimmage.
You were born in Chicoutimi, Que. What’s the claim to fame of Chicoutimi?
A: I don’t even know. That’s a pretty quiet city. That’s a small town. I don’t want to say there’s nothing to do there, because I’m proud of my hometown. But what I like about it is the fact that it’s quiet. If you feel like being outdoors, it’s great. But besides that, there’s nothing crazy going on there.
Legendary hockey goalie Georges Vezina was the Chicoutimi Cucumber. Is he still famous there?
Really? That’s a new one. I’ll have to do my research on that.
Wow. I figured everyone from Chicoutimi would know about Georges Vezina. While we’re speaking about cucumbers, do you have a favourite vegetable?
I eat broccoli a lot. It’s easy. You steam it and you eat it. So I’d have to say broccoli, just because it’s easy.
Do you have a cool nickname? What do the guys in the locker-room call you?
Not really. They just call me by name. But (former Lion defensive lineman) Khareem Smith used to call me M, and then from there it became Eminem.
OK, you didn’t like my Georges Vezina reference. What about Rene Simard? Wikipedia says he’s from Chicoutimi, too.
The singer?
Yeah, the singer. When I was growing up, he was a big deal. He even had his own TV show. So can everyone from Chicoutimi sing?
No, no, no (laughs). Don’t ask me. Don’t ask me to try.
This is for a newspaper article, so you’re OK. Do you have a hidden talent?
I don’t think so. I don’t want to seem like I’m boring, but I don’t think I have a hidden talent.
What about weightlifting? I don’t know if that’s a hidden talent, but I hear you put in your time in the weight room.
I take pride in being a strong defensive lineman. I don’t see myself as gifted with athletic ability, so I have to stay in the weight room and make sure I’m on point with all my stuff.
You’re listed on the Lions’ roster at 259 pounds. Is that accurate?
At the end of the season, I might be a little bit heavier.
What’s the heaviest you’ve ever been?
275.
How much lighter would you be if you cut your hair (which flows down his back)?
I’d say maybe a good two or three pounds.
But that’s not going to happen, is it?
No, no, no. I’ve been growing it out for seven years now. I get it cut once a year, but I’ve had long hair for seven years. So it’s not going away, no.
I read somewhere that you didn’t learn to speak English until you were 12. Is that correct?
My hometown is totally francophone. It’s not like Montreal, where you get to speak both. So I started learning English at school when I was like 10 or 11. But what you learn at school, it’s just the basic stuff. So I really struggled my first year out here. I had two roommates who didn’t speak French at all. That was a little bit of a struggle. But at the end of the day, I’m glad I went through that because it made me better for it.
If I’ve done my homework correctly, Chicoutimi is about four hours from Montreal?
If you drive fast (laughs).
So growing up, you weren’t surrounded by the CFL at all. What was your introduction to the league? Do you remember the first CFL game you attended?
You know what? I had never been to a game before. My first CFL game was the first game I played here.
Come on. You never went to a game as a fan?
Nah. I used to watch the Alouettes on TV. But I had never been to a game as a fan before playing here.
So how did you get your start in football?
I was just curious. Back in high school, I wanted to try, but my mom didn’t want me to play. I gave it a try and as soon as I stepped in, I didn’t look back, and I just kept going.
You’ve been at this for three years now in the CFL. You must have seen some things at the bottom of the pile on the line of scrimmage. Is there respect among linemen?
Oh, you see some stuff. There are some guys who don’t care at all. But I enjoy seeing respect. If it’s like a QB sneak, when you know you’re on someone’s foot or ankle, I like to see guys pull up. We’re not playing the game to injure each other. Yes, we want to hit each other as hard as we can as long as it’s within the rules. But if you’re on someone’s ankle or knee, and you can ruin a guy’s season or even his career, you have to pull off.
Your bio on the Lions’ website says
you enjoy hiking. Have you had a chance to get out and explore Metro Vancouver or the province?
I don’t go every weekend, but I do like to get outdoors. When I was in Kamloops at training camp, I took a day off and went hiking. Here, I’ve been to Lynn Canyon, which was beautiful. I go pretty often to Alouette Lake. I think that place is beautiful.
Your bio also says you like microbreweries.
Oh yeah (laughs and nods approvingly).
Is that an off-season pursuit?
Nah, that’s year-round (laughs). I like beer. You know, you see those people who are more fancy and enjoy wine. Nah, I’m a beer guy. I like my beer.
I thought French people were refined?
Yeah, but I’m not from Europe. If I was a true Frenchman, now that would be different, because they’ve got table wine. They drink wine pretty much all the time. That’s not for me. I like my beer.
Do you have a favourite kind or style of beer?
No. I like to try as much as I can and try to discover new stuff. Anytime I go to a new place I say, “OK, just tell me what your local stuff is,” because I like to try to taste as much as I can.