“I remember seeing Kim [St-Pierre] a little nervous, and now I understand why! », says Caroline Ouellette on the line.
Two years ago, Ouellette attended the induction of her friend and former teammate Kim St-Pierre into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Two years later, it is she who will find herself on stage this Monday. She who will receive the ultimate consecration.
Ouellette had a busy pre-induction week to say the least. In addition to coaching the Concordia University women’s team full-time, she is busy organizing her Women’s Hockey Celebration, which takes place in December each year – more than 100 teams registered this year, ” a happy problem.”
And through all that, the former attacker had to… write her speech.
Last summer, Ouellette began putting down on paper some key points she wanted to address. Except that at the start of the week, that’s still all she had: ideas. “You feel like you have so much time and suddenly it’s gone and you still only have points,” she says. […] I was like that at school too. I always waited until the last minute.
“The reason this speech is so stressful is because you look back on your entire career and you try not to forget people who were instrumental in your success. When you’ve played as long as I’ve played, there’s a lot! »
Several of these people will be in Toronto to experience the moment with her this Monday. Starting with her parents, those without whom she would “never have been able to aspire” to the career she had and who will be celebrated that evening.
“I’m so happy to have my parents here, among us, and that they can come. […] To see their pride… It’s a bit of a way of thanking them for everything they have done, all the sacrifices.
“They believed in the Team Canada dream before me. I didn’t think I was good enough for that. […] Even at that time, it was not easy to be a girl and play among the guys. »
During her minor hockey days, Ouellette, who started playing hockey at age 9, was cut from more teams than she can name. “My parents never blamed the association, the coaches,” she remembers. I never felt diminished, I never felt like I had failed. »
Otherwise, his wife and former opponent and teammate, Julie Chu, will be present with their two daughters, Liv and Tessa. His sister, aunt and in-laws, among others, will also be there.
“I feel really blessed because most of the most important people in my life are still here, except maybe my Uncle Jean, my father’s brother, who showed me how to skate. He followed me to several World Championships. I certainly have a thought for him, he would have loved this kind of event. »
Her first coach with the Canadian team, Danièle Sauvageau, will also be in the room, as well as several former teammates such as Charline Labonté, Marie-Philip Poulin and France St-Louis. Ouellette was also able to invite more people than expected, since the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Julien BriseBois, offered him 10 additional tickets.
“It’s really extraordinary because it allowed me to invite other people who have helped me in other areas of my life, including the Celebration,” she notes.
If Ouellette has known for several months that she will be inducted, it seemed “still unreal” to her on Thursday, when we spoke to her.
“It wasn’t even something [that seemed] possible for my entire career,” she admits.
“When you’re in the heat of the moment, you’re just preparing for the next championship, the next tournament. That’s all I was thinking about. You don’t want it to stop. »
The arrival of his first daughter “changed everything”. It helped her move on. Eventually, she found the same beautiful emotions that she experienced as a player, but this time, with the athletes she coaches.
“I’m going to talk about it in my speech, but I say all the time that I feel like I’m now doing the second greatest thing in hockey, which is coaching. »
In just a few hours, Ouellette will become the 10th woman inducted into the Hall of Fame. She will now rise to the rank of sporting legend. When it’s mentioned to her, the 44-year-old lets out a laugh.
“Looks like it’s not sticking yet! I will think about it. »