CARLSBERG ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT – ALEXANDRE JACQUES
Most former players who become coaches only find their calling towards the end of their careers on the ice. Alexandre Jacques’ path behind a QMJHL bench began before he ever suited up in the league. Once he reached major junior, then the pro ranks, it’s the guidance of a former NHL star and future NHL Head Coach that helped validate those feelings.
“I knew right away I wanted to be a coach,” Jacques recalls. “I was involved in hockey schools at 14 and I loved the teaching part of the game and watching players apply what they’d learned. When I got to Shawinigan, (then Head Coach) Jean Pronovost would bring me into the coach’s room to discuss things. He said he knew I would be a coach someday. It happened again when I was in (ECHL) Toledo and Claude Noël was my coach. I was on a six-month rehab with a torn ACL and, while I was recovering, he brought me in with the coaches.”
Though the coaching itch was already under his skin, Jacques remained patient. After all, there was still a 13-year pro career split between the North American and European ranks to complete. All this on the heels of a successful stint in the ‘Q’ which saw him notch 215 points in 225 regular season games. After three seasons in Shawinigan, he was moved to Rimouski where he joined an Océanic club that reached the 1998 league final.
When it came time to hang up the blades, staying in the game was important to Jacques. Staying close to home with his wife and two sons was even more important.
“When my kids were younger, my wife and I felt it was important for them to be raised in the same place and not be moving around a lot,” he explains. “That led to helping start the Joël Bouchard Hockey Academy. I also started out as a Skills Coach with the Armada.”
Established in 2007, the academy, which bears the name of yet another QMJHL star and former Blainville-Boisbriand Armada Head Coach, stresses the importance of not only development but having fun in the process. Offering programs for players of all ages and levels, the organization fueled Jacques’ passion for teaching the game to others. His connection to Bouchard and the Blainville-Boisbriand area also brought him first into the Armada organization as a Skills Coach but also behind the bench of the Mille-Îles Seigneurs, which organizes teams at the U-13, U-15 and U-17 levels in conjunction with the Joël Bouchard Hockey Academy. It was with Mille-Îles that Jacques would coach his oldest son, now 22. His youngest has proudly entered the world of skilled trades as a 19-year-old electrician.
With his boys all grown up, Jacques’ focus shifted to greater involvement with the Armada. His profile within the organization peaked this past off-season when he was named the team’s Head Coach. It’s not every day that a 48-year-old finds himself as a rookie bench boss at the junior level. But Jacques’ close connection to the development side of the game over the years, as well as his continuous work with the Armada, has certainly helped the transition. Still, the differences in the ‘Q’ between Jacques’ playing days at his coaching days are obvious.
“The skill level of players today is off the charts,” he points out. “When I was young, we didn’t have skill or development camps. Nobody was working on things like edges or movement. Nowadays, players have that training when they come to us. Players are now coached by many different people these days. The info is coming from a lot of different directions.”
“We had no video, really,” Jacques goes on to say when comparing his playing days. “Now, there’s video sessions every day. And communication is so different. Back then it was “Do it this way or don’t play”. Now, players need an explanation for why they’re doing or not doing certain things.”
These are the comparisons Jacques keeps in mind during his first year at the helm of an Armada squad that many selected as the prohibitive favorite to emerge as league champion this Spring. Does he find this aspect daunting for a first assignment as a Head Coach in the ‘Q’? Or does the deep lineup make it easier for him to tackle the role?
“It’s a mix of both,” he says. “Most of our players have already experienced success individually, but this organization hasn’t won a playoff round in five years. Outside of the players we’ve added, it’s basically the same roster we’ve had for a few years. We’ve brought in big pieces that are going to change the identity of the team, though that’s been tough due to injuries. The challenge for me as a new coach is to ask those who’ve had the individual success to play a certain way in order to keep playing into April and May.”
One thing is certain; for as long as the Armada keeps its season alive this year, there’s going to be someone standing behind the bench who will rely on a lifetime of experience to coax every ounce of skill from his charges. And he’ll be enjoying every minute of it.
