Read about Gilles Courteau net worth, age, wife, children, height, family, parents, salary and ice hockey career as well as other information you need to know.
Introduction
Gilles Courteau is a Canadian former ice hockey administrator. He served as president of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) from 1986 to 2023 and was a vice-president of the Canadian Hockey League. During his tenure as president, the QMJHL has expanded from 10 teams in Quebec only, to 18 teams including Atlantic Canada. He implemented English as the language of instruction and sought for the league to provide education and player assistance.
Courteau previously worked for the Trois-Rivières Draveurs, the Quebec Remparts, the Quebec Nordiques, and was inducted into the Hockey Québec Hall of Fame in 2016. Courteau coached baseball in Trois-Rivières in 1975. He worked at the CIP pulp and paper mill in Trois-Rivières, before relocating to Quebec City to follow a hockey career. After the QMJHL relocated to Boucherville, Courteau became a resident of Varennes, Quebec.
Early life
| Name | Gilles Courteau |
| Net Worth | $5 million |
| Occupation | Former ice hockey administrator |
| Age | 65 years |
| Height | 1.80m |
Gilles Courteau was born on October 7, 1957 (age 65 years) in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. He is the son of Canadian parents. He began his career in hockey as a statistician for the Trois-Rivières Draveurs from 1975 to 1977. He worked with head coach Michel Bergeron for two seasons. Team owner Sylvain Cinq-Mars recommended Courteau apply for a similar position with the league after league president Paul Dumont opened an administration office in the Colisée de Québec.
Courteau worked as a general administrator for the QMJHL from 1977 to 1980. He l ater became general manager of the Quebec Remparts from 1980 to 1985 after the departure of Martin Madden. Courteau also served as a public relations agent for the Quebec Nordiques from 1983 to 1985. When the original Quebec Remparts relocated in 1985, Courteau returned to working for the QMJHL as the administrative director.
Career
Gilles Courteau became president of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) on February 13, 1986. He was appointed interim president upon the resignation of Guy Morissette and remained as the tenth and longest-serving league president. He took on the added role of QMJHL commissioner in September 2001, is also a vice-president of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), and represents the CHL on the junior council of Hockey Canada.
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When Courteau took over in the 1985–86 QMJHL season, the league had ten teams and an office staff of three full-time employees; as of the 2014–15 QMJHL season, the league had eighteen teams and a staff of twenty full-time employees. He led the expansion into Atlantic Canada, starting with Halifax in the 1994–95 QMJHL season, which Courteau says is one of his biggest accomplishments as president.
The decision was successful in allowing new owners and respected businessmen to join the league, raising expectations and the league profile, and increasing the average worth of each franchise to $4.5 million in 2015. The growth allowed Courteau to negotiate a 12-year extension for QMJHL television rights with TVA Sports and Sportsnet networks and established revenue sharing to help smaller market teams.
In the early 2000s, Courteau directed the league’s coaches to speak English instead of French during practice, in locker rooms, and during games, in response to the National Hockey League’s concern that players from Quebec did not speak the language well enough to play at professional levels. He was criticized in Quebec’s French-language media but defended his decision as it prepared athletes for professional leagues that only use English.
Gilles Courteau also implemented French language courses for athletes with English as a first language, to help them adapt to being billeted in French and attending local schools. In response to the class action lawsuit against the CHL regarding the status of its players with respect to the minimum wage in Canada, Courteau said that its players are not employees, but are student-athletes.
Courteau successfully lobbied for amendments to labor standards in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, and as of June 2018 is negotiating with the Quebec government. Courteau said that if players were paid a weekly salary, they would be less likely to continue schooling. He says the league’s priority is to oversee players, ensure they have housing, food, education, hockey equipment, and receive a weekly stipend.
He also stated that the league spends $75,000 per player each year including tuition and tutoring, and is more akin to a scholarship than a salary. He introduced a player assistance program in 2012 to help with on-ice and off-ice issues for players and wants to maintain the trust of players and parents, as part of his own extended family.
Gilles Courteau has maintained the status quo on not releasing numbers of concussions in the QMJHL, due to the confidentiality of medical records, but has stated that the CHL may adopt a policy on the disclosure of statistics in the future. He also stated that the CHL has considered a possible renaming of the QMJHL, but that there are issues regarding branding and broadcasting.
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In December 2022, Gilles Courteau announced that he will retire from the QMJHL in May 2024. He instead resigned sooner, effective March 5, 2023. Courteau received a commendation from the Minister of Veterans Affairs of Canada for his role in establishing a veterans’ week throughout the QMJHL in 2010. Courteau was inducted into the Hockey Québec Hall of Fame on June 11, 2016.
Wife
Gilles Courteau is a married man. He has children with his wife. However, when it comes to his wife’s background much is not known about her parents, age, siblings, profession, and net worth. She has distanced herself from attention and rarely interacts with the media.
Gilles Courteau net worth
How much is Gilles Courteau worth? Gilles Courteau net worth is estimated at around $5 million. His main source of income is his primary work as a former ice hockey administrator. Gilles Courteau’s salary per month and other career earnings are over $500,000 dollars annually. His remarkable achievements have earned him some luxurious lifestyles and some fancy car trips. He is one of the richest and most influential former ice hockey administrators in Canada. He stands at an appealing height of 1.80m and has a good body weight which suits his personality.