Paul Byron

MONTREAL - Calgary Flames assistant coach Martin Gelinas was in town ahead of his club's game against the Canadiens on Tuesday night and was more than willing to chat about his former player, Paul Byron.

Gelinas, who played no less than 1,273 career NHL games, is the only member of the Flames' coaching staff who remains from Byron's time in Calgary, and had nothing but praise for the Habs forward.
"He was great. He's a player who in practice, you would tell him to do something and he'd do it right away. What we liked about Paul was that we could put him in any situation," explained the Shawinigan native. "He's a guy we could put on the power play or the penalty kill. He's a versatile player and when we lost him on waivers, it left a big hole on our team."

Seizing the opportunity
After playing 130 games with the Flames in which he collected 46 points (16G, 30A), Byron was claimed on October 6, 2015 by the Canadiens.
In 232 contests with Montreal since 2015, the former Gatineau Olympique has registered 57 goals and 46 helpers for 103 points.

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      PIT@MTL: Byron dekes out DeSmith in shootout

      The change of scenery was a boon to Byron, eventually leading to him signing a four-year, $13.6 million contract extension on September 23 and also to being named an alternate captain.
      "It's a nice reward which is fully deserved. At every training camp, he had to prove himself and show the team that he could be one of the 12 forwards," outlined Gelinas. "Now, everyone knows that he's an NHL-caliber player who is able to contribute, and I'm sure he's going to continue on that path for a long time."
      An emotional departure
      At the time when Byron was claimed by the Canadiens, Bob Hartley was head coach of the Flames and Gelinas recalls the reaction his former colleague had when the 5-foot-9 forward was picked up.
      "Bob was always a solid coach, who didn't show a lot of emotion. I remember that when Paul left Calgary, Bob became very emotional," recounted Gelinas. "He knew we had just lost a very good player. It shows how much he liked Paul Byron."
      Just one more piece of evidence that Byron is as well-respected a player as they come in the NHL.