Stu Cowan: Mathieu Darche Ticks All The Boxes In Canadiens GM Search

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Who will be the next CEO of the Canadiens?

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If it were up to me, it would be Mathieu Darche, but the decision makers will be team owner / president Geoff Molson, executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton, former captain and general manager Bob Gainey, and minority owner Michael. Andlauer. That committee is expected to begin interviewing candidates on Wednesday, and you have to think that the new general manager will be named within the next month or so with the NHL trade deadline set for March 21.

Two of the candidates expected to be interviewed are women: Emilie castonguay Y Daniele sauvageau . During the press conference last November to announce Gorton as the new hockey operations chief, Molson spoke about wanting a “fresh start” for the Canadiens and noted that he was looking to add more diversity to the hockey operations department.

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Other NHL teams are already ahead of the Canadiens in doing so, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have Hayley Wickenheiser as senior director of player development and Danielle Goyette as director of player development.

That leads me to believe that at least one of the two candidates, and possibly both, will be hired by the Canadiens, but I don’t think it’s as general manager. Perhaps one as an assistant general manager and the second in another position within hockey operations.

Castonguay and Sauvageau are highly rated.

Castonguay joined Momentum Hockey in 2014 and, two years later, became the first NHLPA-certified female agent in Canada. He has represented half a dozen NHL players, including Alexis Lafrenière, the New York Rangers’ first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Gorton was the Rangers general manager when they selected Lafrenière, so he has a connection. with Castonguay, who played four years of NCAA Division 1 hockey at Niagara University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2009. Later, she earned a law degree from the University. from Montreal.

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Sauvageau was the head coach of the Canadian women’s team that won a gold medal at the 2001 world championships and again at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. She has also been a general manager and coach advisor with the women’s national team, participated in six Olympic Games and several world championships, and worked as an assistant coach with QMJHL’s Montreal Juniors before co-founding the women’s hockey program at the Université de Montréal. Sauvageau also served 24 years as a police officer.

The other seven candidates expected to be interviewed are Darche, Patrick Roy, Kent Hughes, Daniel Brière, Stéphane Quintal, Marc Denis and Roberto Luongo, all of whom meet Molson’s prerequisite to be able to speak French.

For me, Darche is the most qualified of the candidates after spending the last three seasons as director of hockey operations with the Tampa Bay Lightning with general manager Julien BriseBois and winning two Stanley Cups. When I had a long talk with Darche two years ago in Tampa, he said that BriseBois had him involved in basically every project he was working on and that he was on a “very accelerated learning curve.”

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Darche is highly respected in the hockey world, coming to the NHL as a player despite not being drafted and ending his career playing three seasons with the Canadiens. He was involved with the NHLPA as a player and also has a business background. Darche earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce from McGill University, specializing in international business and marketing, and spent six years as vice president of Canadian sales and marketing for Delmar International Inc. after retiring from the NHL.

The big question with Darche could be his comfort level working with Gorton, and vice versa, after working alongside his good friend BriseBois in Tampa.

Gorton’s comfort level working with Hughes wouldn’t be a problem, so I think the player agent has a chance to land the GM job. During his seven seasons as the Bruins’ assistant general manager, Gorton developed a friendly relationship with Hughes, who has been based in Boston for more than 20 years.

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Hughes grew up on the west island of Montreal, attended Beaconsfield High School, and played for triple-A dwarf Lac St-Louis Lions. He then spent a year at CEGEP de Saint-Laurent before playing four seasons as a forward with Middlebury College in Vermont. His parents and mother-in-law still live on West Island.

As a players agent, Hughes made a name for himself by representing Vincent Lecavalier, the Lightning’s first overall pick in the 1998 NHL Draft. His clients include Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, Kris Letang and Mike Matheson of the Los Angeles. Pittsburgh Penguins, Marco Scandella of the St. Louis Blues and Sammy Blais of the New York Rangers, all born in Quebec.

It’s no surprise Roy’s name is on the shortlist, but I don’t see him getting the GM job. Gorton had to at least interview him or else Roy, and in turn, the French media, ripped him off for not even considering it.

Molson said he wants “a fresh start” and I don’t think St. Patrick is a fit for that project.

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