| ARTICLES |
| QUEBEC LEAGUE PLAYER RELEASED FOR NOT SIGNING CANADIAN FLAG by Ken Campbell |
The commissioner of the Quebec League said he intends to investigate the release of the Saint John Sea Dogs’
top goal scorer after the player failed to sign a flag being sent to troops in Afghanistan.
Dave Bouchard, a 20-year-old left winger with the Sea Dogs, was released by the team over the weekend by GM-
coach Jacques Beaulieu and while the Sea Dogs said there were other on- and off-ice issues with Bouchard, his
failure to sign the flag was a tipping point.
League commissioner Gilles Courteau said he is satisfied that the player wasn’t released because of the flag
situation, but is still concerned that Beaulieu told the media that was part of the reason. Courteau said he intends
to speak with Beaulieu, team president Scott McCain and others in the Sea Dogs’ front office before deciding on a
course of action.
“I don’t approve of what was said publicly by Saint John Sea Dogs coach-GM Jacques Beaulieu,” Courteau said.
“If that was the case and he was sent home for refusing to sign a flag, I would have made sure the player would
have been reinstated by the team because you can’t release a player for doing that.
“There are three things you have to respect: politics, religion and sexual orientation. I would never accept or agree
with someone who would do something like that with a player or a member of team management because of his
political orientation, his religious orientation or sexual orientation. I would not put up with that.”
But Beaulieu made it very clear that the flag situation was at least part of the reason why Bouchard was released,
telling the Saint John Telegraph-Journal that not signing the flag sent, “the wrong message,” to the team’s
younger players and that, “It’s not something we believe in.”
“We have standards, morals and respect and he wasn’t bringing that,” Beaulieu told the Telegraph-Journal. “We
live in one of the best countries in the world. We have a lot of freedom.”
McCain, meanwhile, said he supports his coach-GM’s decision to release Bouchard, even though the freedom
that Beaulieu spoke of evidently doesn’t extend to not signing a flag for troops.
“In the case of this young chap, he’s a 20-year-old and our team is in the basement,” McCain said from his
Toronto office where his is president of a division of Canadian food giant Maple Leaf Foods. “In the case of
Bouchard, there were things going on in the dressing room and on the ice that would lead to the coach making a
decision to make a trade. Now was (the flag situation) one factor? It probably was, but it was by no means the only
factor. Was that the only issue? No, not at all. There were other issues going on behind the scenes. He would
have been traded.”
So, then, why did Beaulieu simply not just trade Bouchard – the QMJHL’s trading window opened Dec. 18 and
goes to Jan. 18 – and not mention the flag controversy?
“In actual fact, I wish he had done just that,” McCain said. “I can’t speak for my coach. I can’t change the words that
come out of his mouth.”
For his part, Bouchard told the Telegraph-Journal that the whole mess was the result of a misunderstanding, but
acknowledged that it was his fault that he didn’t sign the flag and that he should have signed it. When members of
the Sea Dogs went to a Canadian Forces Base in nearby Gagetown earlier this season to pose with soldiers,
Bouchard was in the photo. Coincidentally, the photo is used on the Sea Dogs’ Christmas card.
At the very least, the action seems extreme. Earlier this season, Sea Dogs’ center Jonathan Laberge was
charged with drunk driving – his case will be heard in January – and he was suspended one week by the team
and ordered to do community service.
Neither Beaulieu nor Bouchard could be reached for comment. Bouchard’s billets in Saint John said Monday that
Bouchard had left for the Christmas break and would not provide a forwarding phone number.
At the time of his release, Bouchard was tied for the team lead in goals with 15, but was also tied for the team’s
worst plus-minus at minus-22.
Beaulieu told the Telegraph-Journal there were other issues, but acknowledged the flag situation was one that
infuriated him.
“It was signed by the entire Sea Dogs team for our soldiers who are fighting for us in Afghanistan,” Beaulieu said.
“To me, not signing it is disgraceful. We have grown men over there with little kids who are fighting for our
freedom and fighting for our country. That’s a lack of character and a lack of respect for being a Canadian and it’s
just totally unacceptable. There was a comment made (in the dressing room) that if it was a Quebec flag, he
would have signed it. True or not, I don’t know. The bottom line is he didn’t sign the Canadian flag that we were
sending to Afghanistan.”
top goal scorer after the player failed to sign a flag being sent to troops in Afghanistan.
Dave Bouchard, a 20-year-old left winger with the Sea Dogs, was released by the team over the weekend by GM-
coach Jacques Beaulieu and while the Sea Dogs said there were other on- and off-ice issues with Bouchard, his
failure to sign the flag was a tipping point.
League commissioner Gilles Courteau said he is satisfied that the player wasn’t released because of the flag
situation, but is still concerned that Beaulieu told the media that was part of the reason. Courteau said he intends
to speak with Beaulieu, team president Scott McCain and others in the Sea Dogs’ front office before deciding on a
course of action.
“I don’t approve of what was said publicly by Saint John Sea Dogs coach-GM Jacques Beaulieu,” Courteau said.
“If that was the case and he was sent home for refusing to sign a flag, I would have made sure the player would
have been reinstated by the team because you can’t release a player for doing that.
“There are three things you have to respect: politics, religion and sexual orientation. I would never accept or agree
with someone who would do something like that with a player or a member of team management because of his
political orientation, his religious orientation or sexual orientation. I would not put up with that.”
But Beaulieu made it very clear that the flag situation was at least part of the reason why Bouchard was released,
telling the Saint John Telegraph-Journal that not signing the flag sent, “the wrong message,” to the team’s
younger players and that, “It’s not something we believe in.”
“We have standards, morals and respect and he wasn’t bringing that,” Beaulieu told the Telegraph-Journal. “We
live in one of the best countries in the world. We have a lot of freedom.”
McCain, meanwhile, said he supports his coach-GM’s decision to release Bouchard, even though the freedom
that Beaulieu spoke of evidently doesn’t extend to not signing a flag for troops.
“In the case of this young chap, he’s a 20-year-old and our team is in the basement,” McCain said from his
Toronto office where his is president of a division of Canadian food giant Maple Leaf Foods. “In the case of
Bouchard, there were things going on in the dressing room and on the ice that would lead to the coach making a
decision to make a trade. Now was (the flag situation) one factor? It probably was, but it was by no means the only
factor. Was that the only issue? No, not at all. There were other issues going on behind the scenes. He would
have been traded.”
So, then, why did Beaulieu simply not just trade Bouchard – the QMJHL’s trading window opened Dec. 18 and
goes to Jan. 18 – and not mention the flag controversy?
“In actual fact, I wish he had done just that,” McCain said. “I can’t speak for my coach. I can’t change the words that
come out of his mouth.”
For his part, Bouchard told the Telegraph-Journal that the whole mess was the result of a misunderstanding, but
acknowledged that it was his fault that he didn’t sign the flag and that he should have signed it. When members of
the Sea Dogs went to a Canadian Forces Base in nearby Gagetown earlier this season to pose with soldiers,
Bouchard was in the photo. Coincidentally, the photo is used on the Sea Dogs’ Christmas card.
At the very least, the action seems extreme. Earlier this season, Sea Dogs’ center Jonathan Laberge was
charged with drunk driving – his case will be heard in January – and he was suspended one week by the team
and ordered to do community service.
Neither Beaulieu nor Bouchard could be reached for comment. Bouchard’s billets in Saint John said Monday that
Bouchard had left for the Christmas break and would not provide a forwarding phone number.
At the time of his release, Bouchard was tied for the team lead in goals with 15, but was also tied for the team’s
worst plus-minus at minus-22.
Beaulieu told the Telegraph-Journal there were other issues, but acknowledged the flag situation was one that
infuriated him.
“It was signed by the entire Sea Dogs team for our soldiers who are fighting for us in Afghanistan,” Beaulieu said.
“To me, not signing it is disgraceful. We have grown men over there with little kids who are fighting for our
freedom and fighting for our country. That’s a lack of character and a lack of respect for being a Canadian and it’s
just totally unacceptable. There was a comment made (in the dressing room) that if it was a Quebec flag, he
would have signed it. True or not, I don’t know. The bottom line is he didn’t sign the Canadian flag that we were
sending to Afghanistan.”