Legault Is Starting A Quebec Hockey Committee To Get More Homegrown Players In The NHL
"This is how we will become a breeding ground for talent again."
If everything goes according to Premier François Legault's new plan, there will be more Quebec-born hockey players in the NHL in the not-so-distant future.
In a press conference on November 18, Premier Legault announced that the government set up a committee dedicated to boosting the number of Quebecers in the National Hockey League as well as getting more youth involved in the sport.
A press release explains that the committee aims to "restore our national sport to its former glory, to instill a love of hockey in young people and to properly develop Quebec talent in a positive and safe environment."
"Hockey is our national sport. It is part of our identity, our pride and also part of the pleasures of life. With the creation of a committee of experts to revive the development of hockey, I hope that we will see the renaissance of Quebec hockey. This is how we will become a breeding ground for talent again. That's how Quebec will become a hockey powerhouse again," Premier Legault said in a statement.
This isn't Legault's first time speaking publicly on this subject. In October, he tweeted a photo of himself with the general manager of Hockey Quebec, stating, "We discussed ways to have more Quebec players in the NHL."
Le Comité québécois sur le développement du hockey, as the committee is being called, consists of 15 people, including the committee leader, Marc Denis, a former NHL goalie who's "actively involved in the sport in Quebec," according to the press release.
It also includes women hockey players who the press release says will "identify issues related to the development of women's hockey."
The committee is set to address everything from athlete development structure to player coaching, educational success, accessibility to the sport, safety and integrity, and more.
A final report from the committee is expected to be submitted on March 31, 2022.
You can find the full list of committee members by checking out the government's press release.