The Montreal Canadiens recently named their newest captain. They made the move to name Nick Suzuki the team’s 31st captain in the team’s history. Quite the honor for such a storied franchise rich with history.
While some were outraged about the move, many felt it was best for the Montreal Canadiens as they look to enter an era where the team’s younger talent views it as a time to shine. Though some fans were more outraged about the team debuting a Sainte Flanelle with jersey ads on it, others are already speaking out against the new captain.
Suzuki’s tenure has begun with criticism and a huge discourse on his ability to speak French. The questions immediately started trailing in about Suzuki needing to learn French. He is not currently bilingual, and as the captain of the Canadiens, it has sparked some frustration from the fans.
Does Nick Suzuki need to learn French to be the Montreal Canadiens captain?
Here’s what Suzuki had to say when asked about his ability to speak French.
Do you think it should be a requirement for Nick Suzuki to learn French as the Canadiens new captain? pic.twitter.com/9OzWPfB67G
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 12, 2022
There were a couple of key things that stand out from what Suzuki said. He mentioned that he was taking classes with Babbel this summer. He also mentioned that he reads French better than speaking it.
Habs fans who are enraged that Suzuki does not know French and demanding he learns it seems a bit over the top. Give the kid a chance. He was named captain officially yesterday; it’s going to take time. In his position, the expectation was that Suzuki would be here for the long haul, so he would likely be able to be considered bilingual in due time.
The demand that Suzuki learn French to the point of being able to speak it caused a wide range of discourse among Canadiens fans and even Canadian citizens. Some of the Quebecois officials even chimed in and shared their thoughts, alluding that Suzuki being able to speak French is a must.
It’s causing a bit of a stir in the media, creating a discourse about the Canadiens captain and his ability to speak French. Social media has been sharing their thoughts as well, with a plethora of comments and quote tweets on the matter.
Focus on the long term with Nick Suzuki as the Montreal Canadiens captain.
While the latest and greatest topic seems to be Suzuki as the Habs’ new captain, the long game is essential here. Suzuki is anticipated to be in Montreal and be the team’s leader for the long term. Whether he speaks French fluently at this moment does not matter.
He’s got years to continue to get better until he feels comfortable fluently speaking the language. Give the kid a chance to settle in. It was his first day as the team’s captain, and his ability to talk to French had caused quite the stir in the media.
Even if he “needs” to learn to speak French, he has time to accomplish this. Some of the demands that make it seem like it must happen immediately are a bit of a reach. Suzuki will be a good leader for the team, taking over as the team hopes for a youth movement.