If a few teams from here have triumphed on their respective stages, the year 2022 will have been synonymous with change for many clubs in Quebec. Here's a look at their journey this year.
The Montreal Canadiens' disastrous start to the 2021-22 season forced owner and president Geoff Molson to initiate a wave of change. While he made his intentions clear in 2021 by firing general manager Marc Bergevin and hiring Jeff Gorton as vice-president of hockey operations, the new GM, Kent Hughes, was appointed in January.
Since then, the staff has replaced its head coach Dominique Ducharme with Martin St-Louis. He then parted with Shea Weber (his contract), Tyler Toffoli, Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry, Artturi Lehkonen and Brett Kulak, while adding Juraj Slafkovsky, Sean Monahan, Evgenii Dadonov, Kirby Dach and Johnathan Kovacevic, in particular.
By adding the appointment of Nick Suzuki as captain, the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge began a new era, which started on a better note than expected in this first part of the season.
The situation was not much different for the Alouettes, who also fired their head coach. Indeed, Khari Jones, who also served as offensive coordinator, lost his job after four games this season. It was July 18.
Taking the interim spot, general manager Danny Maciocia led the Sparrows to a playoff berth by virtue of a 9-9 record. The team also got their revenge against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who had defeated them in the previous two Eastern Semi-Finals.
Playing in their first semi-final since 2014, the Alouettes came up against the Toronto Argonauts, eventual Gray Cup champions. Head coach Jason Maas will take the reins for the next season. For his part, the president Mario Cecchini saw the organization not renewing his contract.
Unlike the Habs and the Alouettes, CF Montreal (CFMTL) did not fire its pilot in 2022. Indeed, Wilfried Nancy instead received a lot of credit for an excellent season for the Bleu-Blanc-Noir, second in the East with a 20-9-5 record, his best in 11 Major League Soccer (MLS) campaigns.
The playoff run, however, was not up to snuff, as it ended in the Eastern semi-finals ahead of New York City FC.
Several players have nevertheless been able to extend their season at the World Cup. This is the case of Ismaël Koné, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller, who represented Canada by participating in the three group stage matches.
These successes, however, caught the attention of many clubs, so several players were transferred. While the CFMTL has certainly stocked up on money, Djordje Mihailovic, Koné and Johnston will not be back, while Victor Wanyama is also expected to play elsewhere next year.
On the other hand, Nancy left the organization at the beginning of December and will lead the Columbus Crew next year. The CFMTL found him a successor: the Argentinian Hernan Losada.
In Trois-Rivières, we must already find a new head coach after Éric Bélanger accepted the role with the Voltigeurs de Drummondville. DG Marc-André Bergeron assumes the interim, the time to find his next man of confidence.
The Lions had previously finished their first season with a 34-29-6 record, losing in seven games to the Newfoundland Growlers in their first playoff series.
The Rocket was born in 2017, but the Canadian's school club had to wait until last spring to participate in the playoffs for the first time. After an excellent season of 39-26-7, good for third place in the North section, Jean-François Houle's troops eliminated the Syracuse Crunch and the Rochester Americans. The Springfield Thunderbirds, however, eliminated the Laval team in seven games in the Eastern Final, but the team certainly exceeded expectations.
Independent baseball has had a hard time due to COVID-19, but in their first official season in the Frontier League, the Quebec Capitals were crowned champions. It was the eighth title for the team, the first seven having been obtained in the defunct Can-Am League.
The Cataractes won the first President's Cup in their history in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). However, it was the Saint John Sea Dogs, as the host team, who had the last laugh at the Memorial Cup.
The Université Laval Rouge et Or won their 11th Vanier Cup by defeating the University of Saskatchewan. The last was in 2018.
The Université de Montréal Carabins women's soccer team was crowned Canadian champion.
Two Montreal teams played their first games in 2022: the Alliance, in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, and the Montreal Force, a women's hockey club of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).
