Degrâce remembered as 'official voice for the Titan'

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The man behind the voice of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan is being remembered not only for his dedication to the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey team, but for the passion and care he put into a career telling stories as a community broadcaster.

Gilles Degrâce died April 29 at the age of 74, about two weeks after he suffered a stroke, his family said.

Acadie-Bathurst Titan CEO Gilles Cormier called Degrâce “the official voice for the Titan since day one,” and said he was not only well-known in the community, but across the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

“It’s not just the voice and the man we’re losing. He’s part of the history of the team.”

His son, Alain Degrâce, said anglophones and francophones alike enjoyed listening to his radio play-by-plays because of how “his passion would shine through.”

That was never more obvious than the Titan’s Presidents Cup and Memorial Cup run in 2018, which his son said was a career highlight for Degrâce. He often spoke fondly of the experience.

“That was the greatest moment that he broadcast as a broadcaster,” Alain said. “He held that very dearly in his heart.”

Degrâce was known by listeners for his signature phrase, “Ayoye, ayoye, ayoye,” during broadcasts.

“Today or 10 years from now, if somebody says ‘ayoye,’ they’ll remember Gilles Degrâce,” Cormier said.

At 21, Degrâce began reporting and broadcasting sports stories in local newspapers and radio, and then community television.

He made a longstanding career out of sports journalism, working as both a sports reporter and in advertising for CKLE FM, for more than 30 years up until his death.

“For him, his passion was sports,” said station manager Dani Aubé. “He was doing everything he can to find results, to do an interview with the kids or whoever was in different sports.”

Aubé called Degrâce an “exceptional person” who was well-known by those young and old in the community.

“It’s a big loss for us but it’s a big loss for the community also,” she said.

An avid supporter of the Jeux de l’Acadie, Degrâce covered the event for 34 years, reporting results from the Chaleur and Acadian Peninsula regions, and interviewing both coaches and young athletes.

“If you were a peewee player or an Acadie-Bathurst Titan captain, the two were equal in his eyes,” Alain Degrâce said. “That was important to him – to make them feel as important as any other news that he was preparing.”

Jeux de l’Acadie acting president Jolain Doiron said Degrâce had called recently to be sure there was a room for him at the 2024 games so he could once again share the achievements of the region’s youth.

“All of the young athletes really appreciated that,” he said, adding Degrâce’s death is “a big loss for the games and all amateur sports in all of northeastern New Brunswick.”

When Degrâce wasn’t focused on telling the region’s stories, his son said he was spending time with his family – wife Opal, Alain, and his two granddaughters Emma and Elya.

“That’s part of his life he cherished the most and that’s part of my life I’ll be missing the most,” Alain Degrâce said.

“That’s my goal in life, is to be able to hear my daughters say that I was as great a dad to them that he was to me … He was a great man and that can not be argued.”

A funeral service for Degrâce will be held Monday, May 6 at 2 p.m. at the Beresford church.