Maurice Filion, the death of an “honest man”

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If all have lauded his immense contribution to the world of hockey, it is especially the man who scored his former players.

Roby St-Gelais

Saturday, 29 July, 2017 14:58

UPDATE
Saturday, 29 July, 2017 15:02

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The death of Maurice Filion took the world of hockey by surprise. If all have lauded his immense contribution to the world of hockey in the many roles he has occupied during his career, it is mostly the personality of the former director-general of the Northern who scored his former players.

Best goalscorer in the history of the Nordiques, Michel Goulet has described Mr. Filion as a master strategist of the ice hockey and as one of the most important people to have worked within the organization. His death will leave a huge void, according to him.

“He was a man excessively honest, who knew the game of hockey, has responded to the former player, contacted by The Journal at his home in Denver. It is always difficult to learn a new one like that. When you look at her journey up to the WHA and the NHL, he has had success at all levels. He will be missed enormously.”

For Goulet, who had been traded to the Chicago black hawks during the 1989-1990 season, it is clear that the duo that he received with the coach, Michel Bergeron, has struck the imagination.

“This is probably the tandem that has the most impact on the team, he pointed out. He has done exchanges incredible, especially in the time of the AMH when he got Marc Tardif, and less good. But he was a proud man and his door was always open [to his players]. It has helped a bunch of people in his career.”

Of late, the key acquisition

Captain of the Nordiques during their conquest of the Avco cup in the defunct world hockey Association (WHA), in 1977, Marc Tardif will forever be associated with Maurice Filion, while the latter had acquired his services two seasons earlier, Stars of Michigan. The arrival of the dashing attacker had contributed to the revival of the team at the time that led up to the championship playoff, the only one in the entire history of the franchise. Of late has paid tribute to the departed.

“It makes me really something, has recognized, the emotional, the one who has twice finished at the top of the pointers of the circuit cursed in the uniform of quebec. I’ve always had great respect for Maurice and it is because of him if I played in Quebec city as well as Marius [Fortier, the father of the Nordic]. I’m still super of course, with Maurice, it was someone who was always close to the players and I had a nice relationship with him.”

Longevity remarkable

Saddened by this departure, “suddenly”, the former defender Dave Pichette has not dried up praise to the one with which he negotiated his first two contracts professionals, highlighting her long association with the fleurs-de-lis.

Photo Simon Clark / Journal de Quebec

“It has given a lot to the Nordic, has expressed the president of the Old Northern. It has managed to survive for many years in positions where we know that life can be short and to run the organization with the budgets he had. When you think of the Nordiques, there is a big asterisk next to his name.”

Pichette recalled his negotiations with his former boss. “I negotiated my first pro contract when I was still a junior with the Remparts. My agent accompanied me, but for the second, it was only me. It was tough in business! These are the memories that remain.”

His former teammate, Alain Côté, who has evolved his entire career under the tutelage of Filion, was abundant in the same direction.

“I’ve always liked his integrity and his honesty, was entrusted with the pride of Matane. He took care of me as a hockey player, and it has very well been with him. It has always been reasonable with one another in our contract negotiations. Once it was done, it went to something else. It was a good sir, we have already had good conversations about hockey. He was a man full of knowledge and we spoke even after his career. It was a great experience. I appreciated Maurice.”

Tribute of the QMJHL

For his part, the commissioner of the QMJHL, Gilles Courteau, has spoken of a “huge loss”. The two men first worked together when the Walls belonged to the Nords before finding himself a few years later, at the initiative of the new president of the circuit.

“It was I who engaged him as a prefect of discipline, reminded Mr Courteau in a telephone interview. He has done an extraordinary job at this level. He has put a lot of rigor in the decisions it was called.

Then, he was a great mentor to me and a very good adviser.”

The QMJHL will mark the death of the former leader during the next season. “This was a character prominent in the world of hockey and this will be underlined in the appropriate manner,” agreed the commissioner.

-With the collaboration of Kevin Dubé