Beausoleil vs. Groulx, Part Deux: can you out-mind-game a mind-game?

In the saga of two QMJHL coaches bickering like two seven-year-olds fighting over an ice cream cone, it appears they never really know when to quit.

Even when they say they’re quitting.

The mud was flung by both sides Tuesday as the first-round series between the Rimouski Océanic and the Gatineau Olympiques moved to the Outaouais region. The series is deadlocked at 1-1, with Game 3 in Gatineau Tuesday.

On Monday, Océanic coach Serge Beausoleil accused the Olympiques of diving and faking injuries to get penalty calls. This escalated a war of words between he and Gatineau coach Benoît Groulx.

"We will keep attacking those who continue to fall to the ice to make us take penalties,” Beausoleil said. “It insults me to the highest point. It degrades the sport. If someone did that on our side... It's happened earlier this season and we showed clips to the players. The coaches also have a job to do to prevent it."

Rimouski was actually leading in total power plays in the first two games, though the Olympiques are 2-for-9 and the Océanic are 1-for-10.

Beausoleil continued Tuesday, saying he saw Groulx gesture at Olympique forward Emile Poirier to stay down on the ice after he was hit knee-on-knee by Océanic defenceman Casey Babineau. Babineau was awarded a five minute major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct.

“I’ll admit there was a penalty there, but you could see clearly that [Poirier] was ready to get up when Groulx make a motion to stay down and he did,” Beausoleil said. “Of course, he was back out on the [ensuing] power play.”

Benoît Groulx’s admitted to making a motion, but he motioned for Poirier to stay down so that the trainer could take a look at him. Poirier was down right in front of the Gatineau bench.

“He was clearly in pain,” he said. “I told him to stay there and [Olympiques trainer] Serge Haché was right beside me.”

J.F. Plante, Olympiques beat writer for Le Droit, wrote Tuesday that while he can understand dBeausoleil’s problem with Groulx’s gesture. Groulx added he doesn’t understand how the Olympiques could be accused of diving. He maintains that last season, Olympiques forward Alexandros Soumakis dove in a game and was severely reprimanded, and that Groulx is a strong opponent to the tactic of diving for calls.

Groulx subtle as a 'tractor-trailer that’s backing up'

Beausoleil had an answer Monday to the compliments he’s received from Groulx recently.

“When Benoit does something, it's always to plant a seed,” he said. “You have to watch out and be extra careful when he says anything. [...] I worked with [Quebec Remparts coach-GM] Patrick Roy long enough to know that they are both the same kind of people. I respect their work ethic, but when it comes to the personal attacks, I don't bother getting into it.

“Benoit is like a [tractor-trailer] backing up, and it’s full. I hear the beep, beep, beep when he talks. He’s just trying to get to me."

Beausoleil said that Groulx texted him just after the season ended to congratulate him on the season the Oceanic had and that he would be voting for Rimouski players in the QMJHL Golden Puck Awards.

“He knew going into it that there was a good chance we would be playing each other in the playoffs, and he's trying to catch me with my guard down.

“He’s a great coach, one of the greatest in QMJHL history, but he’s also an opponent. [...] We have to remember that we are coaches. We aren’t on the ice. The players are the show.”

Groulx replied that: “It took Serge three articles to explain what I said in one line – the game is played on the ice by the players.”

For his part, Groulx maintains that he is done playing mind games with Beausoleil. As far as the mind games go, Beausoleil is still talking about it, so Groulx has already won.

Successful troll is successful.