Rebuilding the men’s hockey program
The family Grandmaitre knows something about fresh starts in the game of hockey.
In 1976 when the Hull Festivals disbanded and the city assumed control of the new Hull Olympiques, selected as the team’s first captain was a veteran local player: Jean-Marc Grandmaitre. In what would be his final season in the QMJHL, JM Grandmaitre went out in style, leading the Olympiques in scoring with 37 goals and 111 points.
Today, Jean-Marc’s son, Patrick Grandmaitre — who also went on to record two 100-point seasons in the QMJHL — has a different kind of relaunch on his mind.
Grandmaitre, 37, grandson of late CFL referee Lorne Woods of Ottawa, is the first-year head coach of the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees hockey team. The Gee- Gees will rise from the ashes this fall after being shut down in February 2014 following an office incident in Thunder Bay that led to criminal charges against two players. It’s tough enough competing in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) hockey, where the top schools run professionalstyle programs, littered with major junior hockey graduates from teams such as the Ottawa 67’s or Gatineau Olympiques. Now try starting from scratch, recruiting against powerhouses like the Carleton Ravens, New Brunswick, McGill, UQTR and St. FX.
Baby steps. First, Grandmaitre has to fill out his 2016-17 roster, with an emphasis on finding character players to rebuild the school’s hockey reputation (the two former Gee-Gees charged with sexual assault face trial in Thunder Bay in August).
The off-ice issues of the former program are not hindering Grandmaitre’s recruiting as much as the starting-from-scratch part. Players out of junior have pro aspirations and if they can’t get there initially, want to springboard from successful CIS teams.
“I can sense they want to be part of a more established program,” Grandmaitre says, sitting in his office on the U of O campus.
While he can’t recruit off his team’s performance, Grandmaitre can sell the charms of the city of Ottawa. A keen cyclist and skier, Grandmaitre has been known to take recruits on bike rides to present the splendour of Parliament Hill and the nearby Rideau Canal. He can also promote the credentials of a highly-ranked, bilingual university and a unique place in sporting history.
“Lots of kids are seeing it as an opportunity and want to put their stamp on it,” Grandmaitre says. “I keep telling them, we’re the only team right now that you can say 20 years down the road — I helped start this team over.
“You go into any other program, you’re part of the machine. You’re in the wheel. You’re in with veterans you have to compete against for ice time. Whereas here it’s a blank slate, we’re starting something new. And that has value. I can sense it from some of the guys that are coming here, they see it as an opportunity on and off the ice.”
Grandmaitre, still finalizing a few positions, figures to have five players with OHL or QMJHL experience, including former Olympiques forward Marc Beckstead. The rest will be Junior A types, who make up about 60 per cent of CIS rosters nationally.
There is also the option of NCAA transfers. With the high cost of U.S. schooling and lack of scholarships at that level, Division III players have shown interest. What makes them attractive is the fact they would become second- or third-year players in Ottawa and graduate out in a couple of years. This helps create a roster rotation.
Surprisingly, Grandmaitre has not had a lot of success tapping the mine of players in the nearby CCHL. Apparently, a lot of Ottawa-area players seek a new experience elsewhere.
“I would say the most frustrating thing I’ve been through this year is getting local guys to come here,” Grandmaitre says. “The same with the Junior A players in Ottawa. The top guys have not decided to come here.”
Some local players have since changed their mind and knocked on the coach’s door only to discover a spot was no longer there.
As an example of the style of play to which the Gee-Gees might aspire, Grandmaitre admires the skill and speed of Trois-Rivières (UQTR). Of course, just down Bronson Avenue, the Gee- Gees will look up to a Carleton Ravens team that is physical and skilled, boasting two trips to the national tournament in the past three years.
“They’re definitely an example for us,” Grandmaitre says of his cross-town rival. “They’ve set the bar and it’s fun. I don’t view that as negative. I view it as a positive having such a well-oiled machine just across town. It only makes us work to be better.”
The Gee-Gees will likely go to camp with 20 roster players, plus walk-on candidates.
These are busy days for Grandmaitre, the father of two boys under the age of three. Freshfaced, enthusiastic, Grandmaitre was first appointed last July by a Gee- Gees relaunch committee that included Ottawa Senators president Cyril Leeder and former Senators head coach Jacques Martin, now an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A former captain of the St. FX X-Men with a degree in kinetics, Grandmaitre is realistic about competing with teams like Carleton.
“I can’t create that in one year,” he says. “But if I find the solid kids with strong character and we build this the right way, eventually we will be one of those schools. I’m not scared to say that.”