Before joining TVA Sports, Félix Séguin gave RDS one last chance

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Before joining TVA Sports, Félix Séguin gave RDS one last chance
Credit: X

It's already been 12 years (an entire TV contract) since RDS lost the exclusive rights to broadcast the Canadiens' games in French.

From 2014 to 2026, RDS and TVA Sports split the regular-season games (as you know, of course), and the playoffs were on TVA Sports.

And as we now know, Amazon is entering the picture with seven Habs games per season moving forward.

When TVA Sports secured the hockey rights, they inevitably needed a play-by-play announcer and a color commentator for the Canadiens' Saturday night games. It was a major assignment.

Ultimately, Félix Séguin and Patrick Lalime have held that position for years at Quebecor.

On that note, Félix Séguin (who recently appeared on Kevin Raphaël's “Sans Restriction” podcast) spoke about his transition from RDS to TVA Sports in the winter of 2013.

It makes for a great story.

@sansrestriction💥 From RDS to TVA SPORTS. 👀 💥 @felixseguinhockey tells @kevinraphael21 what really happened in 2013. 🎙 From commentator to commentator. His voice is known throughout Quebec. His story? Not nearly as well. This week on Sans Restriction, we're joined by Félix Séguin, the voice of the Canadiens on TVA Sports, for a conversation like few others. 🏒 He looks back on the greatest moments of his career: the pressure of calling games in front of millions of viewers, Lehkonen's goal on Saint-Jean's Eve, the legendary “O Canada! Oh McDavid!” from the Four Nations Tournament, and that famous Newhook goal in Game 7… which he almost missed. But above all, he gives us a glimpse into the man behind the microphone: his childhood dream, his incredible Boston Marathon, his family, the critics, his move from RDS to TVA Sports, and the encounters that left a lasting impression on him with hockey's greatest legends. An authentic, funny, inspiring, and emotional interview. 🎧 Available now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all streaming platforms. 👇 What's the Félix Séguin moment that's left the biggest impression on you over the years?♬ original sound – sansrestriction

When the offer landed on Séguin's desk, he went to see his bosses at RDS to find out if he could get the same deal from his current employer instead of making the move to TVA Sports.

It sounds like a hostile offer: will you match it or not?

After taking a day or two to think it over, the RDS executives called Félix back to tell him they were going to stick with Pierre Houde.

And that's how Félix Séguin ended up at TVA.

“Thank you very much for reaching out; we appreciate your honesty, but we're going to go with Pierre. We wish you good luck.” – Dominique Vanelli, Félix Séguin's boss at RDS

We can all agree that in 2013, the decision to keep Pierre Houde was the right one. And I'm not saying this to criticize Félix Séguin, who gets way too much hate and deserves more credit for his work, in my opinion.

It's an interesting story told by Félix Séguin, in any case. And it's good to know how things played out for him because many people at RDS were approached by TVA Sports when the station launched.


In a nutshell

– Worth reading.

– Interesting.

– Good question.

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