People who follow the Canadian are asking the question that covers this column. We are told that Jonathan has landed on his feet and is eager to get back into hockey.
Next week, we will know the reasons for which he left the Canadian in high season, last April.
The Sports Network will broadcast a recorded interview with him conducted by Chantal Machabée. TVA Sports will do the same with Renaud Lavoie.
It seems that we should not expect river novels.
Drouin didn’t like RDS announcing with great fanfare at the U.S. Open last week that it would air an exclusive interview with Drouin on September 20.
It did not correspond to the agreement that had been reached between the parties.
Drouin does not want to expand on the subject and have his story turn into a circus. He wants to turn the page as quickly as possible and focus on his return to the game.
Anxiety related to his performance
To know what could have disconcerted him to the point of putting his career on hiatus, know that he has nothing to be ashamed of. He did not do any wrongdoing that could damage his reputation.
We talk about anxiety disorder related to its performance.
This is what we can read, moreover, between the lines in the interview with Dominique Ducharme signed by my colleague Jean-François Chaumont, which you can read on page 71.
There will be some to say that Drouin is pocketing millions to produce. This is true, but not all humans react to adversity the same way.
This is valid in all trades and professions.
The example of Naomi Osaka
Japan’s Naomi Osaka was second in the world when she pulled out of the French Open last April because press encounters were causing her uncontrollable stress.
It is not yesterday that some top athletes experience anxiety problems or experience episodes of depression.
The causes differ.
We now know the pernicious effects of concussions on the athletes who suffer from them.
For other reasons, some suffer internally rather than disclose their condition.
Those not so young will remember that the great Frank Mahovlich was hospitalized for depression while playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Big M had cracked under the pressure put on him by Punch Imlach, who combined the functions of general manager and coach of the Leafs.
Mahovlich regained the happiness of playing hockey when he was freed from the clutches of Imlach, who traded him to the Detroit Red Wings.
He later ended up with the Canadiens where he had some excellent seasons in his mid-30s.
Comfort everywhere
We must hope that Drouin will get away with it too.
Lots of people watched over him while his batteries were dead. Josh Anderson left Ontario to spend time with him in Quebec.
His neighbors in Westmount provided him with help and comfort.
Drouin has found a haven of peace near the Royal Laurentien Golf Club, in Saint-Faustin. He will build a house there.
Not too late
His career is not lost. He is not a capped player or at the end of the rope.
Fans could ask for nothing better for him to succeed with the Canadian. He probably won’t become the great player we saw in him, but he has talent.
Without saying that he has the whole future in front of him, he can still shine in the sport for which he was fueled when he was younger.
At 26, all hopes remain.
It was Roberto!
Rodger Brulotte talks to us in his column today about Roberto Clemente and the wonderful memories of his youth he had with this great player in baseball history. But let me add my two cents.
Roberto was one of the ball players I imitated in my youth. That included the neck twists he did during his at-bat appearances.
What a baseball player he was!
He rushed at all the balls he could hit; he was breaking down to catch those which seemed out of his reach; he had a cannon arm and he ran with the strength of a lion on the paths.
Look, America!
Clemente was proud to be Puerto Rican.
In the 1971 World Series, he showed the face of America what a player born in Carolina, a town nicknamed the “Land of the Greats”, could accomplish on a baseball field.
He maintained a .414 batting average, hit two homers and produced four runs in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
His performances have earned him the title of MVP of the Series.
And it shouldn’t be called Bob or Bobby as it was written on my baseball cards in the 1960s.
The translation of his first name had been given to him by American journalists who wanted to make it one of theirs.
“No, no and no, my name is Roberto! Clemente had told them forcefully.
And Roberto remained Roberto.
It was time !
Almost 49 years after his tragic death, Clemente is still remembered by those who were marked by his sporting exploits and by his community involvement.
He lost his life trying to help the victims of Nicaragua whose capital, Managua, had just been shaken by a violent earthquake.
His sudden death had struck me.
Hey, Roberto!
