BROSSARD – There is no doubt in Alex Newhook’s mind as to where he wants to be.
Montreal.
Speaking to the media for the first time on Friday since signing a four-year contract extension on September 15, the 25-year-old emphasized his desire to remain with the Canadiens for at least the next five seasons.
“It’s a great feeling to get it done before the season starts and for the team to have the belief in me to stay here. For me, I didn’t want to be anywhere else. Don’t want to miss the window we have here to win. Playing in a great city for a great organization, it was an easy decision for me to stay.”
Newhook, who signed for an average annual salary of $5.55 million, made it clear that securing his future in Montreal—and, more importantly, having the opportunity to win with the Canadiens—took precedence over waiting for the salary cap to drive up the value of his next contract.
“I think not risking leaving was big, and knowing I’ll be here for another four or five years is exciting. If you get the chance to win somewhere, especially in this city, if you want to risk it for a little extra money, I think at the end of the day it’s not worth it.”
That desire to see the Canadiens’ growth through is shared by Kirby Dach, who also signed a contract extension this summer and is entering his fifth year in Montreal.
“We’ve grown up together. For most of us, we’ve grown this thing from the ground up and it’s been a lot of fun. As a player, you want to see it through and see where it can take you, but as a person, it’s more effective, because these are the guys you’ve been going to battle with over the last five years. There’s the business side of hockey but as a personal thing, it would suck to leave this team.”
Newhook and Dach skated as part of Team B on the third day of training camp on the South Shore.
