André Tourigny made a mega-gaffe in his QMJHL debut

We all make mistakes. Unfortunately, that’s how we learn best/most in life, hence the popular expression that welearn from our mistakes.

What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger: it’s like…

OK, that’ll do the pocket proverbs and 2-cent analogies for this morning.

The factremains that making a mistake is 99.9% of the time no big deal. It’s part of the game, as the other guy would say.

Proof #19986463248238432244383: André Tourigny made a big one in his early days of junior hockey, when he was a scout for the Shawinigan Cataractes.

The anecdote was told yesterday on BPM Sports by Stéphane Pilotte, his boss (and the Cats‘ recruiting director) at the time.

Pilotte, currently a scout with the Anaheim Ducks, told Martin Lemay that André Tourigny once forgot his organization’s complete QMJHL draftranking list on his table at lunch… a lunch attended by all 17 other Q teams. The famous (and important) list thus fell into the hands of the other organizations before the start of the draft. Wow!

We’re not talking about a little mistake that has no consequences; dozens of people work for a whole year to make this list in the hope of drafting better than the other teams. And “thanks” to André Tourigny, other teams were able to read it as if it were the menu.

In the end, André apologized – twice rather than once – and all that didn’t stop him from climbing the ranks of the Cataractes (assistant coach), the Rouyn-Norada Huskies (head coach and GM), Hockey Canada, the Avalanche, the Senators, the 67 ‘s and the Coyotes. So when we tell our kids to forget their mistakes quickly and look forward – not back – as quickly as possible, we’re not wrong.

Although I must admit, I would have felt very small in the pants if I’d been André Tourigny that day.

I really suggest you go and listen to Stéphane Pilotte and Martin Lemay’s segment on the BPM Sports website if you haven’t already. Good stuff!

Can’t wait to hear Martin Lemay quiz the Bear on the subject during his next weekly column on BPM Sports…

It’s worth noting that Tourigny and the Coyotes have a 9-9-2 record so far this season, a record barely better than that of our Canadiens.

In gusto

– Oh boy.

– Justin Barron solidifies his place in the top-4. [BPM Sports]

– Daniel Sprong has probably had better days.

@DLCoulisses with the signing of Patrick Kane in Detroit, a right winger is going to have to give up his spot. With his #88 taken, a player will probably be asked to give it up.

Anyway, it looks like a bad morning to be Daniel Sprong pic.twitter.com/xQgMApLDQG

– Simon Arnold (@smnarnold) November 28, 2023

– A coach takes the rap when his club is doing badly.

As usual, NHL coaches pay the price for teams’ high expectations, lack of roster flexibility and flat cap. My latest for@TheAthletic https://t.co/FAcyRq9oxH

– Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) November 28, 2023

– The subject continues to be the talk of the town.

MARC-ANDRÉ FLEURY: THE NHL SHOOTS ITSELF IN THE FOOT

In his latest Editorial, Réjean Tremblay comments on the NHL’s decision regarding the Quebec goaltender’s new maskhttps://t.co/fjfEzrJlNI pic.twitter.com/NfTnlLlkDa

– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) November 28, 2023