Golden Knights prevent Dominique Ducharme from speaking to Quebec media

There’s a wind of nostalgia blowing through Quebec today. The loss of Karl Tremblay is being felt everywhere. This will certainly be the case at the Bell Centre tonight, when the Golden Knights visit Montreal.

While a video in honor of the Cowboys Fringants singer will probably be presented, we can also expect a tribute to Dominique Ducharme, who makes his return to the metropolis tonight.

With his return, nostalgia for the Stanley Cup chase in 2021 resurfaces. We must never forget that Ducharme, despite the criticism he received, was at the helm of the team that made fans dream for an entire summer.

Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy spoke to the media and had nothing but good things to say about his current assistant coach. He sees himself in him, as he too had a difficult end to his first NHL coaching experience in Washington.

It’s a shame the media didn’t get a chance to talk to Ducharme about his return. As reported by J-F Chaumont, Golden Knights policy prevents assistants from giving interviews.

This isn’t the only team with a similar policy, as Guy Boucher, Sheldon Keefe’s assistant coach in Toronto, didn’t talk to Montreal reporters at the start of the season either.

So it exists throughout the NHL, but it’s a shame nonetheless.

What about the Habs? We’ve already heard assistants speak to the media during the season, whether at press conferences or in one-on-one interviews.

I understand the need for a certain rigidity when it comes to assistants. It’s not up to them to take the blame for a defeat, for example. However, on special occasions like tonight’s game, we should be able to talk to Ducharme.

After all, the main topic would have been his return and his memories of the metropolis.

Extension

I wonder how Dominique Ducharme will be received tonight. We know what he accomplished, but we also remember his tumultuous departure.

For a long time, he was blamed, rightly or wrongly, for Cole Caufield’s failure.