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Thursday, 22 December 2011 14:37

Written by Seth Rorabaugh

Last week, the Canadiens fired head coach Jacques Martin, a French-speaking native of Saint-Pascal Baylon, Ont., and replaced him with former Penguins forward Randy Cunneyworth, an English-speaking native of Etobicoke, Ont..

Fans, journalists and even politicians in Quebec  voiced heavy displeasure in the move based on the langauge barrier presented between Cunneyworth and a primarily French-speaking fanbase. The Canadiens, once known as the "Flying Frenchmen," are an institution in Quebec and emblematic of cultural pride in the province.

Today, we spoke with Penguins defenseman Alexandre Picard (right), a native of Gatineau, Que. who spent last season with the Canadiens about the unique issue and how he dealt with it while he played in Montreal.

Why is this such a big ordeal?

"It think it’s just because the fans are so passionate and they appropriate the team to them so much. Obviously Quebec being a French (speaking) province, it’s probably the (only) team in the NHL that has to through that stuff. It’s (tough) for Randy Cunneyworth right now because he’s worked hard all his life, this is probably his goal to be there. The fact that he doesn’t speak French, he’s getting beat up on. But at the same time, I understand the fans where they come from. Not everyone in Quebec speaks English and I think they’d like to know stuff about their team in French."

How important is from a cultural standpoint?

"It’s a long history for that team and for most of the time they’ve had French-speaking bilingual coaches. Myself, I think you got to go for the best coach available out there but at the same time, I think it’s a bonus if he is bilingual. It’s a touchy subject but that’s why Montreal is Montreal. The fans are so passionate."

When you played in Montreal, how did you handle various media in different languages?

"I would do it in English and repeat pretty much the same thing in French. That’s the market. If you go north of Montreal, you’re lucky if you get one out of four people that speaks English. People outside of Quebec have to understand that. "

How difficult is it for a player who doesn't speak French as a first language to function in Montreal?

"Montreal has English (places). Especially downtown. I don’t think they have a big problem as far as language. Probably just the lifestyle of always being under the microscope in Montreal and thinking before you do something, especially when you’re a big star like (Canadiens goaltender) Carey Price. Got to calculate their every move when they step out the door."

Would a winning record alleviate a lot of concerns with regards to language?

"Yeah, I think so. At the end of the day, it seems that everybody in Quebec that follows the Canadiens is a bit of (general manager). Obviously everybody is going to put their opinion out there. At the end of the day, if Montreal wins a Stanley Cup some day with an English (speaking) coach, I don’t think we’ll hear that debate any more."

(Photos: Picard-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Towel-Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

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