Connect with us

Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens Alumni Event A Breath Of Fresh Air

Published

on

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens under Geoff Gorton and Kent Hughes seem intent on repairing the relationship between the club and its former players; and it’s about time.

The Montreal Canadiens organized an event between the current management team of the club and an all-star cast of former Canadiens players. It was the first time in years that the Montreal Canadiens held an event specific to the team, and hopefully, this is a sign of things to come. When the Montreal Canadiens called on former general manager and Hall of Famer, Bob Gainey, to help Jeff Gorton and Geoff Molson in their search for a new general manager, the hope was that the relationship between the past and the present would be mended for the betterment of the future, and Wednesday night was likely the first step towards that goal.

For decades, each generation was present to watch the current and next generations and provide the players with advice and support as they proudly represented the Bleu Blanc Rouge. Over the last decade, the presence and influence of the Canadiens legends had started to diminish to a point where they were barely around the team and were only ever seen during funerals of former players or bobblehead nights. During the Marc Bergevin era, many legends complained about their lack of involvement compared to years past. Who could forget when Victor Mete didn’t know who Stéphane Richer was back in September of 2019?

The Montreal Canadiens have the richest history in the NHL and should consequently use the experience of these Cup-winning legends to their advantage to teach the next generation what it means to play and win in Montreal. Seeing the next generation of Montreal Canadiens like Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki engage with legends like Steve Shutt or Yvan Cournoyer is an essential part of the process to help this franchise return to its prestigious ways. The Canadiens have bigger problems ahead of themselves, such as fixing their scouting and developmental departments, but better insulating these players has been an issue for years. Having more of these legends around as resources and mentors to the incoming wave of young and talented players certainly couldn’t hurt.