If everything went normally, the Canadian won last night and leads 1-0 in its series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. But I admit that on Wednesday, I was worried. Not because Carey Price smashed his hockey stick after missing a harmless shot...

But because, on Wednesday, Angela Price was obviously not doing very well. She explained to her fans that she was in bad spirits, that her state of mind was not very good and that she had nothing positive and interesting to deliver on her Instagram page.

It was all the more worrying since, on Monday, Angela said in the afternoon that she had spent the day fighting a nasty migraine. And that about ten days ago, she explained how her sister who came to help her with the children had been stuck at customs without obtaining an exemption from quarantine.

Luckily things were better yesterday and she had plenty of great products from her CHic 21 collection to give away on her social media. It reassured me, Carey would be ready for the match.

THE FRENCH AND JULIE PETRY

Monday was a bit trickier. Julie Petry went to a business on the South Shore. It looked like the clerk rolled his eyes when Ms.^me Petry was unable to greet him in French. So she emptied her heart on her DailyJules Instagram page. By recounting how she felt insulted and upset and all that ensues.

Tuesday, the lamentations had been removed, but Julie Petry went there with an endless logorrhea to explain herself by specifying that such situations could harm the Canadian in the recruitment of players.

Obviously these women are young, smart and have every right to set up their own business and use their status to promote their products and those they endorse as influencers.

But I thought that all the efforts of the Canadian to control the image of saint-nitouche of his players, all the censorship measures imposed on the professional media to control and direct what we will show, say and write in traditional media, are contradicted every day on Instagram, which seems the ideal vehicle to promote a company, its activities and its moods.

You don't need a meeting with Paul Wilson to see your favorite player's bathroom or the contents of his pantry, take a look on Instagram!

VERY DELICATE SITUATION

Paul Wilson, vice-president of public affairs and communications for the Canadiens, has known everything in his long career. But there, he enters a very 2021 universe and he recognizes that nothing is simple in this situation: “We cannot and do not want to intervene in the content of the social networks of the spouses of the players. But we are very aware of what is happening. I would say that we have saved several situations in recent times. It is sometimes necessary to explain that certain sensitivities in Quebec must be respected. This is not always easy for a spouse who comes from abroad. We defuse, ”says Wilson.

In fact, the Canadiens' communications team, led by Paul Wilson, intervenes regularly. He explains to the players at the start of the season that you have to be careful with social networks: “But I do not have the legal or moral authority to impose anything. I do awareness raising. When the American country singer was filmed using the n-word... one evening in February [c'est Morgan Wallen], I asked Claude Julien to meet the players. I told them how Wallen had lost his recording contracts and his record label had let him down. It was good because in addition, some players liked him a lot. I took the opportunity to remind them that even their loved ones should be careful, ”explains Wilson.

MANAGE THE UNMANAGEABLE

Paul Wilson responds with great caution to these questions. You have to understand that the Canadian — and it has never been worse than since the Bergevin era — controls everything that happens and above all, what is known in the media. First, by using its partners like RDS, TVA Sports and 98.5 and by muzzling the rest of the press.

But we know at Sainte-Flanelle that it overflows on the social networks of some of the players' spouses. It would be enough for CH fan sites to start peeling Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for the stories to be spread in another way to the general public. And that links or amalgams are made to put the organization in trouble: “We are proactive, we know what is going on. We don't sleep on gas. But we are in 2021, and it is a reality that we will have to tame, ”reveals Wilson.

We will have to learn to manage the unmanageable.

Opening the border

As the Canadian will win the Stanley Cup, our glorious CH will have to face an American team in the semi-finals. Somewhere in mid-June. It will be impossible to play at the Bell Center if the federal government does not lift its mandatory quarantine for Canadians and visitors entering the country: “The talks are already underway in high places in Ottawa. Everyone is aware of the situation. We are working seriously to find a solution,” says Paul Wilson.

You have to understand that all the Canadian teams involved in the playoffs have already taken these steps. As well as the league. We do not book hotels and arenas the day before a series.

It would be frustrating to say the least if the Canadiens played the final series in Plattsburgh... and the fans couldn't get there.