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Ice hockey: for Charles Bertrand, the French international from Tampere, “finding Rouen is really special”
Passed by the Amateur Hockey Club of Rouen when he was young, Charles Bertrand, the French international striker of Tappara Tampere, is delighted to cross the road of the Dragons in the quarter-finals of the Champions Hockey League.
As soon as his own qualification was assured (*), a fortnight ago, Charles Bertrand grabbed his phone. " Knowing that we would play the winner of the 8 th finals between Rouen and Salzburg, I immediately sent a message to Fab (Lhenry, coach of Dragons) to wish him first good luck and tell him that I hoped we would meet up in the next round. " By losing only two goals in Austria (3-1), while they had won by three in the first leg to Île Lacroix (3-0) a week earlier, the Rouennais granted the wish of the international striker tricolor, impatient to welcome, Tuesday, December 7, 2021 in Tampere, the club where, younger, he made part of his classes.
Are you happy to find a French team at this stage of the competition?
Charles Bertrand: “Of course! It’s great for French hockey! The Rouennais have had a good run. Getting that far, for a French team, it’s really great and, as it’s the first time, I imagine that, for the guys, it’s quite exciting and that they are going to be ultra-motivated against us to do even better. "
Does the fact that it is Rouen opposite make this match even more special in your eyes?
“Of course, for me, it’s something very special because I spent several years in Rouen. I played there from minimal to juniors. To face the Dragons today when, as a kid, I was going to see their matches on the ice, it’s really special. "
What exactly does this Rouen club represent for you?
“It is, with the Viry-Châtillon club, the one where I spent the most years in France. The one who, as a player, really allowed me to develop myself so that I could then go abroad. I met some great people there, and had some great coaches too. It’s really a great experience to be able to come back to Rouen. "
“I will be happy to come back to the city”
We feel you are impatient …
“I am, yes. I’m repeating myself, but for me it’s a really special date. I will be happy to come back to the city, to be on the ice in the morning for the morning skate and to find an environment that is familiar to me. I intend to take advantage of all these moments because, in a career, these are rare moments. You have to appreciate them. "
This quarter-final of CHL will also give you the opportunity, I believe, to play for the first time in your professional career on the ice of Île Lacroix, right?
“I had a friendly match there with the France team a few years ago, six to seven years I think, but it was different from a match with or against the Dragons. I have never played in Rouen under these conditions (Editor’s note: in front of the supporters of the Dragons) and it is true that this is something that is particularly close to my heart. This match is clear that I am looking forward to it. "
And all the more so since your personal start to the season (26 matches, 4 points) seems a little difficult …
“Personally, it’s a little complicated start to the season. Well, it’s not the easiest I’ve had. It happens. In my career, I have had good starts and bad, good seasons and bad. We must make do. I try not to think too much about the situation, not to be negative. I take game by game and I try to improve myself, to get back on the right track. The goal is to help the team as much as possible because, collectively, since the start of the season, it hasn’t been much more obvious. We hope to succeed in developing as a team during the season to be ready for the play-offs. "
Despite everything, despite your difficulties, you will have the status of favorite during this quarter-final …
“Favorites, we will be, yes, but we watched the matches in Rouen the previous round and it shows that it is a team that skates very hard. It will not change us too much of what we experience here in the championship because, in all the teams, it skates hard. It’s intense. We know that it will not be easy, that we will have to give the best of ourselves and have a very good match to win. "
"Come back to Rouen? Never say never "
How did your teammates react when they saw that they were going to face Rouen?
“They were all happy. Many have sent me messages after the qualification of the Dragons. And since we know that we are going to face Rouen, I tell them about the club, the good memories I have from there. The atmosphere in the ice rink too. I shared a video with them that I found on social media where, on the occasion of the second leg in Salzburg, we saw the supporters who had gathered in the ice rink to follow the game on the cube. It shows the enthusiasm that there is on the Rouen side and, suddenly, it excites us even more to come and play at Île Lacroix. "
Has the CHL, the Tappara club made it a goal?
“What is clear, already, is that, since I arrived in Tappara (Editor’s note: in the summer of 2019), it’s a competition that everyone wants to play. A competition that is taken seriously. This season, the coaches have also put the best possible team in each game. We are playing our luck to the max. "
You are still under contract for a season with Tappara and it is probably still a little early to discuss your future, but do you see yourself, one day, coming back to play in France and, why not, in Rouen?
" Never say never. In any case, it’s sure that if one day I had to come back to play in France, Rouen, that’s what would attract me the most, where I would see myself playing the most. We cannot know what the future holds, but why not one day. We’ll see. "
