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Olympic Games: 'Samuel Montembeault speaks French, which helps his chances'

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 12:15 PM ET

If you don’t want politics and sports to mix… don’t follow sports. This is especially true when it comes to Team Canada. Tensions between Anglophones and Francophones often come to the surface at such times. The fact that fewer and fewer Francophones are making it into the line-up of Canadian teams is the talk of the town. Take the Confrontation des quatre nations, for example. No Québécois played in that tournament, with Samuel Montembeault as #3 goalkeeper. Could the same thing happen at the Olympics this winter? Yes. After all, I can’t think of any other Québécois / Francophone who would fit in with the four nations, and Monty was, along with Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill, the only three guests at Hockey Canada’s summer camp. #Index

Samuel Montembeault is one of them, and two other Habs players were also invited → https://t.co/AvGjNUwwXz –

DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) August 1, 2025

[content-ads]We know it’s all going to come down to the 2025-2026 season. But the fact that Montembeault was at the tournament in February and invited to camp this summer says a lot about Canada’s intentions, which saw Monty rise in 2024-2025. And Steve Simmons, a journalist in English Canada, thinks he knows why the Québécois will be at the Olympics.

Samuel Montembeault speaks French, which helps his chances of being the third goalie.

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Steve Simmons

“Montembeault is French Canadian, which helps his chances of being the third goalie.”@simmonssteve on why #GoHabsGo goalie Samuel Montembeault could make the Canadian Olympic team. With all due respect, Steve, that’s disrespecting Montembeault.@sickpodnhl @thesickpodcasts https://t.co/CpdhzqL1pf –

Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) August 4, 2025

Jimmy Murphy shared his text talking about a lack of respect for the talent of the Canadiens goalie, who brought the Habs to the playoffs in 2025. This isn’t the first time a journalist from English Canadahas talked about Montembeault as a default choice for Hockey Canada due to the French fact. It also happened a few months ago.[content-ads]

Politics factored into Quebec goalie getting picked for Team Canada, NHL insider says

“I don’t think they had any choice but to pick Samuel Montembeault for this roster.“https://t.co/AKddD6DMwZ via @edmontonjournal– David Staples (@dstaples) December 5, 2024

Is it true that this weighs in the balance? I guess, to a certain extent, they know that not choosing any Québécois would be bad press in Quebec, but to what extent? I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that seeing a journalist raise the theory in such a tone isn’t exactly going to calm the discontent of Québécois who are already angry at the English. To be continued. [spacer title=’prolongation’]Logan Thompson, Stuart Skinner, Darcy Kuemper and Mackenzie Blackwood are the other goalies who could potentially make the Canadian Olympic team. Binnington is probably assured of his position. But Hill and Montembeault?

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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