(Zurich, Switzerland) The Lions have this Wednesday off, but Marc Crawford graciously agrees to take an hour out of his day to meet La Presse in a café in the center of Switzerland’s economic metropolis. Selected pieces.
Marc Crawford: It was after I finished second for the job in Montreal in 2012. I did four interviews with the Canadian, it was between Mike [Therrien] and me. Then I tried my luck with Washington, but George McPhee told me: we are too far along with the other candidate. It was Adam Oates. So, I had just lost jobs two weeks in a row. And I really felt like I had lost jobs. So Zurich calls, invites me to come. I came up with a plan. And the timing was good, our daughter had just started university in Vancouver and our son had just gotten a job at the NHL Network. So the children were gone. And it was good.
MC: Absolutely. But I continued to do interviews in the NHL. I got very close with Florida in 2014. We started talking about a contract, a sign that it was serious. But that didn’t work either, they took Gerard [Gallant]. I was thinking about going back, and then at the U18 World Championship, Pat Brisson came to see me. “So take Auston [Matthews] into your club, it’ll help you come back. » So I listened to him, I stayed one more year, in 2015-2016, then Guy [Boucher] came to get me with the Senators.
MC: I coached the last 20 games of the season after he was fired, and I think I did a good job. It was disappointing not to have it, but I have experienced enough to know that sometimes it is beyond our control. I know there have been several negative things associated with me that have probably cost me jobs. Nowadays, demanding as I am, I’m probably seen as too old school. Some coaches have styles similar to mine and are successful. And others didn’t have a chance. But I’m really happy with where I’m at. I know I’m not young anymore, but I really love what I do.
MC: I don’t know, I’ll keep going as long as I can. I need this job because I want to do this, I’m competitive, it helps me be who I am. But I’m just really comfortable in my life, sitting here in a café in Zurich!
MC: I’m not as anonymous as I used to be. The team is still closely followed. But here, I am the Lions coach. I’m not an NHL veteran. And in this area, it’s full of students and tourists, so I’m less known!
MC: The league is very good at the moment, because we have several good Swiss players. And two years ago, we went from a limit of four foreigners to six. So that adds 30 good players. And it coincided with the KHL becoming less attractive, which attracted good Swedes and Finns.
MC: My God, yes! But I don’t know if they would have kept me for long, that’s another question! When I was little, I didn’t like the Canadiens, I liked the Maple Leafs. But my father played in Chicoutimi, he met my mother there. And my brother [Eric] has been working there as a scout for 10 years. He survived the regime change. He is an excellent talent evaluator.
MC: That’s correct [the interview is in English, but he welcomes us in French]. With the Nordiques, I had a tutor, Lucie, who closely monitored my French. The 1994 lockout was truly providential for me. Before, I took one class a week. During the lockout, it was every day. I was really nervous at my first press conference, but by the second, things started to go really well! And French allowed me to speak with my grandparents, my uncles and my aunts on my mother’s side.