The Tribune had the opportunity to sit down with Mathieu Darche, a McGill graduate (B.Com. ‘00) who played in the NHL last season with the Montreal Canadiens. He weighed in on his time at McGill, this year’s Redmen roster, and the current NHL lockout. 

McGill Tribune: What do you remember about your days as a McGill Redmen? 

Mathieu Darche: I went to McGill to get an education. It was the only [Canadian] school that gave me an offer. I remember all those years at McGill, those Christmas trips that we [took to] Europe and Vancouver. I think we went to Slovakia one year. I try and keep in touch with quite a few of the ex-Redmen, like my linemates from those years: Dave Gourde and Dave Grenier. [Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach] Martin Raymond I actually still talk to today.”

MT: How closely do you follow the current McGill Redmen?

MD: To be honest, I only saw one game this year. But I’ve heard good things about that [Marc-Olivier] Vachon, and a few other kids like [Ryan] McKiernan, who was there last year [and] seems like a good character kid. I know it’s a bit of a transition year for them because they graduated a lot of players [from] last year’s [championship team]. That’s the thing with [collegiate] sports; you can’t keep your players forever.

MT: Has your McGill Management degree benefited you throughout the NHL lockout negotiations? 

MD: Well, a degree is just a piece of paper. I mean, maybe I was able to get a grasp on the financial things quicker because I did take some finance classes. [However], whatever you learn in school is nothing compared to practical work and experience. I’m getting towards the end of my playing career, and being in the business side of hockey is something that I’ve always been interested in.

MT: Do you see the NHL lockout ending anytime soon?

MD: I’ve been optimistic from the start that there [will] be hockey; and I think the players have come a long way. We sacrificed over a billion dollars in salary, and it just seems right now, like the owners want to hit a home run by getting us on the player’s share and contracting rights. Then again, I think we’re way too close to not get a deal done.

MT: Have NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly been unfair during the negotiations? 

MD: I don’t have anything personal against those two; they’re incredibly smart people, and they’re doing what the owners want them to do. They’re just the voice behind the whole [position]. Obviously, I’ll preach from [the players’] choir. I feel that we’ve made the most concessions.

MT: Were your ex-teammate Roman Hamrlik’s comments against NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr out of line? 

MD: I don’t want to say [out of line], [because] I understand where he’s coming from. He’s 38 years old and I’m in the same boat. Maybe I’ll never play again, who knows? And I have no problem with his opinion except for one [thing]: I’m just disappointed that he hasn’t been to any meetings. When he was in Montreal, skating with us, I tried to explain stuff to him and he wouldn’t listen. He would just say, ‘That’s stupid, that’s stupid.’ The only thing that I [can] say is that I’m a little bit disappointed that he made those comments without being informed.

MT: Is decertification for the NHLPA a realistic possibility? 

MD: It could happen. I mean, you saw the NFL and the NBA did it and they got a deal not long after. Will we do it? I don’t know yet. Has it been discussed? Of course it has. Every [possibility] has been discussed. I don’t know if we will, [but] I’d like to hope that we’ll get an agreement before doing something like that. It’s tough to predict right now if we’ll get to that or not.

MT: Does the fact that you don’t currently have an NHL contract change your perspective in these negotiations? 

MD: Well, some people told me on Twitter—because you get Twitter haters who think they’re ‘Twitter tough’—[that] ‘of course it’s easy for me to be a hardliner.’ They told me that I have nothing to lose because I don’t have a contract, but I think it’s the opposite. I have everything to lose because especially at my age [36] the longer it goes, the lower my chances are of playing again.”

“My plan was to go to Western University to play lacrosse since grade 12,” Jishan Sharples, McGill’s graduating, and recently crowned national champion said. “I didn’t even think of going to McGill, hadn’t even visited the campus. I was sure I didn’t want to go there. But then [Head Coach Tim Murdoch] contacted me and with one 30 minute phone call, I switched right away.”

Amazingly, this one discussion with Murdoch transformed Sharples’ life. Using the captain’s desire for a premium education and a promise of a national championship in the coming years at McGill, Murdoch lured the young star recruit to Montreal. Despite Sharples’ early uncertainty, the move to McGill has undoubtedly paid off, as he scored the game winning overtime goal in the Baggataway Cup final to beat the team he was once destined to join—the Western Mustangs.

“I saw immediately that Jishan was a versatile athlete—strong, fast, and athletic,” Murdoch said. “[Yet], it is truly ironic that Jishan scored the most historic goal in our history against Western in the championships. I’m so glad he was wearing red that day instead of purple.”

Growing up in Vancouver, Sharples began playing lacrosse at just five years old, after his father got him interested in the sport. Long travel sessions to practices and games marked Sharples’ high school playing days, then a member of the Burnaby Mountain Selects, the premier travelling lacrosse program in British Columbia. The club cycles through tournaments in the United States to provide exposure for gifted lacrosse players to Divison I NCAA schools.

“There isn’t a lot of exposure in Canada, specifically for field lacrosse, which is what is played in university,” Sharples said. “In order to take it to the next level, you really need to join a travelling team. The switch really came for me in grade nine, when I joined Burnaby.” Sharples said.

The Vancouver native was recruited by 18 American institutions, in addition to his few Canadian opportunities. However, McGill’s strong lacrosse program, as well as its academic reputation, won the Sharples over.

“The best decision I ever made was becoming a Redmen,” he said.

According to Sharples, the team’s success can be attributed to the roster’s diversity and the team’s devotion to the motto “for the boys.” The team features players from all across Canada and the United States. This multi-faceted dynamic—faithfully helmed by Princeton alumnus Murdoch—presents an environment where players can mature and constantly improve. This differs dramatically from other elite Canadian programs, like Western, which recruit heavily from the local talent base.

Even this year’s national championship—where Sharples scored five goals between the semis and finals, including the game-winner in the Baggataway Cup—was a total team effort.

“The entire tournament everybody played his role­—as corny as that sounds, from offence to defence—and even though my name will be on that last goal, I’m adamant that it stands as a team one,” Sharples said. “But, it is a pretty amazing feeling … it’s the only way I wanted to end my career at McGill.”

Looking towards the future, Sharples already has opportunities. With the National Lacrosse League planning to expand the current professional scene in Canada—including a team in this city to follow the now-defunct Montreal Express—Sharples was chosen to participate in a tryout for Quebec lacrosse athletes for a chance to play in a Toronto Rock professional game in December. Although he was unsuccessful in his first bid, the tryout served as a learning experience for future endeavours should he wish to pursue them. However, the future may be far more similar to the present.

“The good thing about our league, is that there is no [eligibility] limit—so I’ve already told coach I’ll be back in some form,” Sharples said. “As long as you’re a full-time student at McGill [you’re eligible]. I’m hoping to do a dual MBA/JD program, with another four years of lacrosse.”

Looking back, Murdoch had glowing reviews of Sharples and the legacy he leaves with the program.

“I am always happy to witness young men like Jishan mature over four years on campus. He took full advantage of McGill’s academic offerings—four-year honor roll status, while enjoying himself socially in Montreal. He has always been self-motivated to achieve great things, on and off of the lacrosse field, [and] he made his own success through hard work and determination,” Murdoch said.

“Jishan is destined for continued success in whatever career path he chooses beyond McGill,” Murdoch continued. “As head coach, I have formed especially close friendships with our captains over the years, and I can say from the bottom of my heart that I will miss Jishan enormously.”

It’s safe to say Sharples made the right playing decision.

“[It’s been] the best four years of my life,” Sharples said. “An absolute roller coaster, with definitely more highs than lows, but it started the right way and ended the right way.”

Three weeks ago, the McGill tennis team qualified for its first national championship. The tournament will take place in Toronto in August 2013. McGill will compete as a co-ed team, picking up the second of the two qualifying tickets from the Eastern division, along with top-seeded Western University. The teams will face off against two other universities from the Western Division,  rounding out the tournament competitors.

The co-ed format was introduced to nationals to allow teams from the Western Division, typically with smaller rosters, to enter the competition.

During the qualifying rounds, the men and women competed separately, in order to qualify for a mixed team of ten players. The University of Montreal lost its qualifying bid to McGill, even though the Carabins were heavily favoured, and have won every national title since the championships’ inception in 2009.

In the semis, the Martlets fell 4-3, but the Redmen prevailed 5-2. McGill therefore finished with a two-point cumulative advantage over the Carabins. Western University dominated the competiton, winning both the men’s and women’s draws.

The amateur tournament will be played alongside the annual professional women’s Rogers Cup at the Rexall Centre.

“As far as I know, it is unique to have a tournament that brings together the best players in the world, at the same time as university players,’’ Head Coach Adrien Dupont explained.

The upcoming nine months before nationals will require unique preparation for McGill. “[Our] next challenge is to maintain the same level of play that we have managed to rise to this semester,” Dupont said.

After losing its varsity status in 2010, the team rebuilt itself around the leadership of Dupont and a core of new players. Dupont became the head coach five years ago, while he was still playing at McGill. The team at that time was still student-run. Two years later, he reintroduced the women’s program, following its dissolution in 2008. In this Fall’s regular season, the women’s squad went undefeated for the first time.

“It is still a very young team, and certainly one of my greatest prides,” Dupont said.

Despite its status as a competitive club, both tennis teams were allowed to play in the same league as the seven other varsity teams from Quebec and Ontario. Now, the club’s development depends on the evolution of the sport in the province—motivation that wasn’t there just a few years ago.

To introduce an independent RSEQ conference, a minimum of four teams is required. However, Dupont hopes to see such a division created by next year. This is particularly important because being part of a provincial-only league is a requirement for a competitive club to be instated as a varsity team at McGill. McGill has scheduled winter exhibition games against Laval, Sherbrooke, and Montreal, with the intention of promoting an independent conference. It would also give McGill an opportunity to prepare for nationals in August.

“Our hope is that the exhibition season will be a success; and if so, we will be in a position to re-engage the discussion with the university [regarding the varsity status for tennis] and the three other programs to try to move forward,” Dupont said.

Currently, the club faces challenges of reduced publicity and university-provided financing. However, these difficulties have not undermined the team’s ability to compete for its first national title.

“Now that we are qualified, our objective is to go get our first title,” Dupont said. “It is definitely a format that gives us the opportunity to have our best men and women represent us.”