Plenty of former Habs in PyeongChang
Maxim Lapierre, Brian Gionta just some of the former Canadiens representing their respective countries at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea
By
Dan Braverman @CanadiensMTL / canadiens.com
Team Canada
MAXIM LAPIERRE - Habs fans have fond memories of the club's second-round (61st overall) pick from 2003. The feisty winger spent parts of six seasons in Montreal, registering 40 goals and as many assists to go along with 283 penalty minutes in 293 career games as a Hab. Lapierre, now 32, has spent the past three seasons with Lugano in the Swiss National League.
RENE BOURQUE - The Lac La Biche, AB native played for the Canadiens from January 2012 to November 2014, amassing 39 points (21G, 18A) in 141 games. Bourque, now 36, was named one of Team Canada's assistant captains for the Olympic tournament. He is spending the 2017-18 season with Djurgardens in the Swedish Hockey League.
BEN SCRIVENS - The 31-year-old netminder joined the Canadiens for the 2015-16 season, and suited up for 15 games. He posted a 5-8-0 record, a .906 save percentage, and a 3.07 goals-against average. Scrivens, a native of Spruce Grove, AB, has spent the past two seasons in the KHL, this year with Ufa Salavat Yulayev.
CHRISTIAN THOMAS - Son of former Leafs forward Steve Thomas, the Toronto native was in the Canadiens' system for parts of three seasons from 2013-14 to 2015-16. Thomas played 25 games for Montreal during that span, collecting one goal and two assists. This season, he has played 30 games with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Instagram from @cpt92: Opening Ceremonies! ����@hockeycanada #pyeongchang2018
Team Canada is in Group A for this year's tournament along with South Korea, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland. They kick off the tournament early on Thursday morning, with a 7:10 a.m. EST tilt against Switzerland. They then play the Czechs on Friday night at 10:10 p.m. EST, and close out the preliminary round against the hosts on Sunday morning, at 7:10 a.m. EST.
United States
BRIAN GIONTA - The 39-year-old former Canadiens captain is assuming the same leadership role for his country in PyeongChang. The Rochester, NY native is taking part in his second Olympics, after having scored four goals in six Olympic contests with Team USA at the Torino Games in 2006. In September 2010, Gionta became just the second American-born Hab to ever sport the "C" in Montreal, where he racked up an impressive 173 points (97G, 76A) in 303 games during his Canadiens career from 2009-10 to 2013-14.
JAMES WISNIEWSKI - Known for his blistering point shot, Wisniewski patrolled the Habs' blue line for 43 games in 2010-11, scoring seven goals and adding 23 assists in that span. He is spending the 2017-18 season with the Kassel Huskies in the second division of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany.
The Americans are in Group B, and their Olympic action gets underway on Wednesday morning against Slovenia. They will play Slovakia on Thursday night before meeting the Olympic Athletes from Russia on Saturday morning.
Czech Republic
JIRI SEKAC - The Kladno native signed with the Canadiens as a free agent in the summer of 2014. He put up 16 points (7G, 9A) in 50 contests for the Habs, and has spent the past two seasons with Ak-Bars Kazan in the KHL. As members of Group A, Sekac and the Czechs will begin tournament play against South Korea on Thursday, followed by a tilt against Canada on Friday night, and then Switzerland on Sunday.
Switzerland
RAPHAEL DIAZ - The 32-year-old rearguard spent parts of three seasons with the Habs, from 2011-12 to 2013-14. He amassed 41 points (7G, 34A) in 128 games with Montreal, and has spent the past two seasons with EV Zug in the Swiss league. Switzerland is also in Group A and opens up the preliminaries against Canada on Thursday, before facing South Korea on Saturday, and the Czech Republic on Sunday.
Olympic Athletes from Russia
NIKITA NESTEROV - The 5-foot-11, 191-pound blue-liner joined the Canadiens for a brief stint last season, playing 13 games and recording a goal and four assists in the process. Nesterov is back in the KHL this season, playing for CSKA Moscow. The OAR is in Group B, and has preliminary-round games scheduled against Slovakia (Wednesday), Slovenia (Friday), and the United States (Saturday).
