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.”