2024-01-27 05:00:00
Éric Bédard participated in the Olympic Games on three occasions with the Canadian short track speed skating team and won four Olympic medals during his career. Today, he owns Nagano Skate which specializes, among other things, in protective suits for NHL players.
Since the tragic death of hockey player Adam Johnson, who lost his life when a skate cut his throat during a hockey game, Eric has worked closely with several NHL teams.
Following his time as coach of the Canadian men’s team, Éric Bédard accepted the position of head coach of the speed skating sport-study program in Trois-Rivières in 2020. Today he accompanies the Mauricie delegation as an advisor to coaches for the Quebec Games. He is also a mentor for sports organizations in the region.
The objective of the position occupied by Éric Bédard is to establish a sustainable community of practice in the world of Quebec sport.
Why is he so involved? He believes he must give back to the community what he has received.
You had to win a medal, no matter the color.
Before a race at the Olympic Games, Quebec’s greatest speed skater, Marc Gagnon, simply told me: “Win a medal, no matter the color.” »I came back with a bronze medal.
What was your source of motivation?
Not money at all. We did not have a scholarship for our excellence and our performance. I repeat: no money. However, it was frustrating to see the Italian athlete walk away with a US$75,000 bonus even though he finished behind us on the podium.
You were born in Sainte-Thècle, very close to Saint-Tite.
My mother, Claire, was a primary school teacher for almost 30 years in Sainte-Thècle, while my father, Gaétan, was responsible for sports at the Collège de Shawinigan for 30 years.
Teaching is part of your roots.
Without a doubt, because it was my parents who instilled in me my passion for teaching and playing sport. My father, like my mother, played softball, broomball and volleyball, without forgetting that he was the coach of several sports teams including the Ghislain Delage Hockey School.
At three years old, you made your debut in speed skating.
My father and uncles were goalies, so believe me, the long blades of goalie skates intrigued me.
At five years old, you wore long-bladed speed skates.
I was doing very well on the Saint-Tite ice rink and I was also a good goalie, but I had to make a choice.
At 10 years old, you had a difficult choice to make.
I participated in the Quebec Games and won three gold medals in speed skating. At the end of my hockey season, my father made me understand that I had to make a choice, because I didn’t have enough time to play both sports. A few years later, I won medals in athletics at the Quebec Games.
Canadian champion at 12 years old.
I left for Vancouver alone with my coach to participate in the Canadian Championships. I came home with the gold medal. I knew then that I had made the right choice.
Your mother thought you were going to live in Rivière-du-Loup for two weeks.
I headed to this magnificent city with the idea of finishing my sports studies and my two years of CEGEP. Mom understood that I wasn’t coming home after two weeks. However, my parents have always supported me.
Were you part of a choir or theater group?
I hear a big laugh, because he tells me clearly: “I had no talent for either of them. »
Your arrival in Montreal.
After my years in Rivière-du-Loup, I was selected to be part of the Quebec team which trains in Montreal. I lived on Aird Avenue, very close to the Olympic Park. Believe me, at that time there was a lot of violence in the neighborhood. Subsequently, I found myself in a condo near the Claude-Robillard Center.
Win after Christmas?
It’s not complicated. You can be as good as you want, but the major competitions were after Christmas.
Describe to me your participation in your three Olympic Games.
During my first Olympic Games in Nagano in 1998, I thought it would be my last, because it was difficult to participate in two Olympic Games in a row. I won a bronze medal.
Your second Games were more difficult.
Firstly, I didn’t train too much for the Canadian qualifiers. Result: I did not qualify to compete in the individual events at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
The third Olympic Games, Turin 2006.
This time, I was prepared for the Canadian qualifiers. Competing in three Olympics made me realize that no matter how good I was, I had to train to maintain my excellence.
The Éric Bédard Training Center program.
I am responsible for the speed skating sports-studies program at the Académie les Estacades in Trois-Rivières. One good morning, the president of the college board of directors summons me to his office. I am stunned when he asks me if I would agree that the program now bears the name Éric Bédard Training Center. This is an honor I would never have dreamed of.
Life as a couple is not easy.
The life of a coach is not as easy as people think. There is no established work schedule. Hours vary from day to day, not to mention the numerous trips. I am blessed because my partner, Caroline, supports me in my work, in addition to being a wonderful mother to our children.
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