It’s a long way from the beaches of south France to the ice rinks of the National Hockey League, but when you learn the details of Xavier Ouellet’s journey it’s not all that difficult to comprehend how it came to be.
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ouellet, 21, was born in Bayonne, France, but was only living there because his father Robert was playing pro hockey in the country.
A center with the QMJHL St. Jean Castors from 1985-89, Robert Ouellet played with Angers, Grenoble and Anglet Hormadi of the French League and Krefeld of the German League. The elder Ouellet represented France in five world championships and also in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, the first Olympiad to feature NHL players.
“He’s Canadian, all my family is from Montreal,… said Xavier Ouellet, who will play his 12th game as a Red Wing Tuesday in Edmonton against the Oilers. “He just played in France and Germany for a little bit. He had his whole (pro) career over there.…
Ouellet returned to Canada and was raised in Montreal, although his hockey career was launched on the larger European ice surfaces.
“I lived for seven years in France and three years in Germany,… Ouellet said. “I got to Canada when I was 10.
“I started (playing hockey) in Germany when I was around five or six, then kept going in France and then kept my minor hockey going in Canada after that.
“Obviously, my dad was playing so it was easy for me to start. I enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun doing it. Then I got to Canada and it became really big competition. It’s such a huge sport in Canada.…
Ouellet maintains fond recollections of the time he spent as a youngster living on the French coast.
“I especially remember the second time in France, because I was a little older,… Ouellet said. “We were in the southwest of France, so I remember the beach being right there and the rink being right by the beach, so that was a little special.…
Ouellet skated for Canada in the 2013 world junior championship, but would also be eligible to play for France should he so choose one day.
“I had my French passport and then just got my Canadian,… Ouellet said. “I have just the Canadian passport now, but it would be easy for me to get my French one since I was born over there.
“I’m going to give it a shot for Canada, that’s for sure and we’ll see where that’s going to bring me.…
Don’t Underestimate the Oil That’s the word from Wings coach Mike Babcock, who recognizes that the Oilers are last overall in the 30-team NHL, but stresses that doesn’t mean they will prove a soft touch for Detroit.
“They just beat the Islanders, who wouldn’t let us touch the puck, 5-2,… Babcock pointed out. “The game before they lost to Colorado in overtime. And they had LA down.
“They’ve got good players. It’s the NHL, they want to win. Obviously the pressure really mounted here. They had to do something. They removed (coach) Dallas (Eakins), and brought in Todd (Nelson), so there’s less pressure on these kids now.
“They seem to be playing. They seem to have skill set and so we’re going to have to play real well.…
Babcock indicated he would go with the same lineup that played Saturday in Vancouver. Jimmy Howard gets the call in goal, while Petr Mrazek is slated to get the start Wednesday at Calgary.
Ouellet’s An All-Star Ouellet, who has spent the majority of the season with AHL Grand Rapids, as well as Griffins right-winger Teemu Pulkkinen were selected Tuesday to the Western Conference team for the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held Jan. 25-26 at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
Pulkkinen leads the Griffins in scoring and is tied for second overall in the AHL with 38 points (19-19-38) in 32 games, while also tying for the league lead in goals. Pulkkinen is riding an eight-game goal-scoring streak, second-longest in franchise history behind only Donald MacLean’s eight-game streak in 2005-06. MacLean was named AHL MVP that season.
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