Alex Belzile hopes recent horror stories about major junior hockey initiations will provide food for thought and prevent this type of abuse from happening again.
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“There isn’t a single young person who should experience that again in life,” the forward said the morning after his practice at the Bell Center, adding: “It’s really flat to hear and see that for some players it’s the Hell was, her youth internship”.
“I read a bit [ce qui a été écrit sur les abus qu’auraient vécus des recrues] and it’s not rosy, rosy, he added. Forcing teenagers to do such things… let’s say it’s not recommended. We are in the year 2023 and we need to move forward in life. »
“You are a little”
Belzile tried to remember how a 15- or 16-year-old might feel when he joins a new team.
“When you’re in the moment, you don’t know if it’s normal or not. At this age it is also difficult to understand whether it is acceptable. You don’t want to be different, so you follow a bit,” explained the man who scored his first NHL goal in Sunday’s win over the Edmonton Oilers.
The 31-year-old winger was 18 when he joined the Rimouski Oceanic in 2009/2010. He did not live to see initiation and was surprised to learn of the abuse other hockey players had experienced.
“I don’t know if I stuck my head in the sand, but I really had fun at my junior camp,” said Belzile. The older ones were super nice. Zero zero; not once did he come close to seeing or witnessing it. We all hear stories and say to ourselves, “Ah, it’s somewhere else, or maybe the world is putting some of that into it.” But when an article like this comes out, it challenges you. »
team spirit
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, like his teammate, has not seen an initiation gone wrong in either the juniors or the pros. And the swift attacker believes that these rites of passage must remain, but always in joy and good spirits.
“I think the initiations remain important,” said Harvey-Pinard. You want to integrate new people into the team. But there is a way to do it. It should be respectful. This is the key for initiations. I have fond memories of my initiations. There are still good times. I got to know the guys and I think that bonded the team. »
– With the collaboration of Jean-François Chaumont