2023-06-23 18:20:30
At a press conference Thursday, the hockey club did not want to reveal the reasons for this dismissal.
We thank Marc-André Bergeron for his work within our organization, Deacon Sports and Entertainment (DSE) President Dean MacDonald said in a statement. Marc-André’s great passion for the sport played an important role in the development of the team. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.
Bergeron saw his workload increase considerably last season. He had to take control of the Trois-Rivières team last November, when head coach Éric Bélanger announced his departure to lead the Voltigeurs de Drummondville in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (LHJMQ). He took over the rest of the season.
Under his leadership, the Lions have collected 23 wins and 36 losses. His record is 63 wins and 69 losses as general manager.
Off the ice, the past few months have also been pretty grueling for the organization. In April, president Mark Weightman, architect of the Trois-Rivières franchise, decided to return to the nest of the Montreal Alouettes. Then, the City of Trois-Rivières served formal notice on the owners of the team, in May, for unpaid rent. The case is still not settled at this time.
Marc-André Bergeron has been an important pillar of the young ECHL team since its debut in 2021. He was first hired in March 2019 by the municipal administration of Yves Lévesque to find one or more tenants to occupy the future Colosseum.
The former defender of the Montreal Canadiens saw his mandate come to an end in December of the same year. He will later be hired by DSE, the group of promoters wanting to set up an ECHL team in Trois-Rivières.
A few months later, an agreement in principle was signed between the City of Trois-Rivières and DSE to occupy the new Colisée as of the 2021-2022 season. Marc-André Bergeron was then appointed as vice-president and general manager of the organization.
In this position, he took pride in giving a large place to Quebecers in training. Although the Lions made the playoffs in their inaugural season, roster management has been quite complex due to the lingering effects of COVID-19.
Pascal Rhéaume at the controls
Pascal Rhéaume was named head coach of the Val-d’Or Foreurs in 2018. (File photo)
Photo : Radio-Canada / Jocelyn Corbeil
Pascal Rhéaume was in talks with a QMJHL team for a head coaching position after declining a contract extension as an assistant coach with the Lions.
By being named head coach and general manager, he therefore obtained an important promotion. The last time he coached a game as head coach was in 2020 with the Val-d’Or Foreurs.
He joined the Lions in 2021, after his dismissal in the QMJHL. It was a return for him to the city of Laviolette, since he began his junior career with the Draveurs in 1991.
It’s a great challenge that awaits me, he agreed in an interview on the show And instantly. I’ve been a head coach before, I’ve never been a general manager. There, now, I occupy both jobs, so for me it’s a challenge. Alex Cousineau, who will be the director of operations, I have been working with for two years. We have a very good relationship.
Rhéaume will be responsible for the team’s on-ice performance, player recruitment and strategic decision-making.
Its priority is to grant contracts to players that the organization wishes to keep in its ranks. I would like to have a bigger team physically, harder to play against, in particular to bring a better show.
Like Bergeron, Pascal Rhéaume has a good knowledge of professional hockey, having played 318 games in the National League. He won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2003. The former center also had 271 games in the American League.
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