OQLF's French Hockey Push Sparks Backlash
Quebec's language authority wants Habs fans cheering in French during playoffs, but locals aren't taking the hint kindly.
Quebec's language authority is at it again. The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) launched a campaign this week urging Montreal Canadiens fans to root for the team "in the language of Maurice Richard" as the Habs face off against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. They even released a glossary of over 75 French hockey terms—lancer frappé, échappée, tour du chapeau—hoping fans would ditch English borrowings like "puck" (rondelle, please) and "power play" (avantage numérique is preferred).
The internet had feelings about it. Verified X user Stéphane Prud'homme offered his bilingual counter-declaration: "Go Habs Go! CH you're the best! We live in a country with 2 official languages, we have the right to choose." Another commenter was less diplomatic: "We'll do what we want. The OQLF can go to hell." Jean Chouinard spotted the irony—"So chanting Olé Olé Olé... that's OK?"—calling out what he saw as obvious inconsistency in the authority's logic.
This feels familiar. Last year, the OQLF pressured the STM to replace "Go Habs Go!" on city buses with "Allez Canadiens Allez!" That sparked instant backlash, and the French-language minister ultimately admitted "Go Habs Go" is part of Quebec culture. The buses switched back this past winter.
Whether the glossary sticks with fans riding the high of a Game 1 victory is another question. The Habs won decisively Thursday, which might be all the language anyone needs right now.