Saluting The General

MONTREAL – He may be a man of few words, but for Andrei Markov’s teammates and fans, his actions were all the talking they needed.

In a city and hockey market that celebrates flair and sensation, Markov’s quiet demeanor was certainly an outlier for someone regarded as a fan favorite. But it didn’t stop the defenseman, who was celebrated with a Homecoming tribute night at the Bell Centre on December 3, from establishing himself as a Canadiens great on a franchise rife with legendary blue-liners.

“He was quiet. There's no doubt about it; he brought a quiet presence, but Marky was always the type of guy who led by example,” praised the Club’s winningest goaltender, Carey Price, who played with Markov for 10 seasons. “He let his actions speak for themselves.”

Habs fans are known to gravitate towards players with flair, guys who feed off the electric energy of the Montreal crowd and return the favor. But while the Russian-born Markov may never have been a big talker in his time in the city, he was still able to communicate to Canadiens faithful in a language they understand perfectly well.

“People in Montreal, the fans, they know their hockey. They’re able to recognize good players who play well,” described former goaltender Jose Theodore, Markov’s teammate for five seasons. “He loved Montreal, he loved playing here. And, there’s nothing not to like about Andrei Markov, both on the ice and off it.”

A late pick in the 1998 NHL Draft – getting plucked in the sixth round at 162nd-overall – Markov became an endurable fixture on the blue line for the Canadiens. The 6-foot, 200-pound defender played 990 games in a Montreal uniform, including 81-plus games in three of his final four seasons in the League despite a number of injury setbacks earlier in his career.

Endurance, his former teammates say, that can be credited to his rigorous preparation regimen.

“Marky, he was kind of a pillar on the backend for years and years around here. He's an incredibly smart player. Year after year, he went through a tough injury, bounced back; [he had an] incredible work ethic,” recalled Brendan Gallagher of the Habs’ former No. 79, who missed 35 games with a lacerated ankle in 2009-10 before returning two months ahead of schedule and scoring a pair of goals in his first game back. “And when you thought of the Montreal Canadiens, honestly, he was kind of the face that would come to mind. He was a very important player for this organization for a very long time, and I'm happy I got to play with him.”

There’s no better person to evaluate a defenseman’s play than the man who stands behind him in the crease. One such netminder lucky enough to spend so much time watching The General play was Theodore, winner of the 2001-02 Hart and Vezina Trophies, who confirms that Markov was the full package.

“I’ve always said that Andrei Markov was one of the most complete defensemen. Extremely good vision. A good skater, strong physically, smart with the puck, good on the attack. He could play on the power play or on the penalty kill. I think that’s Andrei Markov in a nutshell, he’s a complete guy,” described Theodore of Markov, the franchise’s all-time leader in power-play points among defensemen with 294. “And what’s more, he could play a lot of minutes – he sometimes played 25-27 minutes [per game], always with the same energy and determination. He’s one of the great defensemen to play for the Canadiens.”

Price and Theodore represent different eras for the Canadiens, but in a testament to Markov’s consistency, they both shared an appreciation for how much easier he made life for each of them.

“[He was] a puck mover. Marky was able to find guys all over the ice. He was able to get the puck from the corner and just pretty much put it right on your tape, wherever. He was one of the best passers I think I've ever played with,” shared Price of Markov, who celebrated his 500th career game with a five-point night, just the second Habs defenseman to ever record that many points in a game on the road. “He's one of those guys that you never really spent a whole lot of time in your own zone [when he was on the ice], because you gave him the puck and he was going to move it to somebody and he'd be on his way up the ice.”

For fellow defenseman P.K. Subban, there was simply no player who exceeded Markov in his time with the team.

“He was the best player that I played with in Montreal. I played with a lot of great players; I don't know if there was a better player than him. Carey Price was an amazing goaltender, but I really believe that Andrei Markov was the best player that I ever played with in Montreal – just the way he could see the ice, the way he affected the game,” praised Subban, who overlapped with Markov for seven seasons with the Canadiens. “You knew he could make plays that guys couldn't make. And he pushed me every day to be better.”

He may have been notorious for the loudness of his play and the quietness of his voice, but Markov was also known to have a dry and sly sense of humor – once he opened up to you, that is. Price says that took around two years in his case, but the funny stories certainly came in due time.

“I remember one time we were at a rookie party in Phoenix and he jumped into the pool in his suit,” cracked Price. “He was not the guy I would have expected to do that.”

Party side aside, Markov was all business on the backend – and he’s got the records to prove it: the aforementioned most power play points in franchise history among defensemen, second all-time in assists, tied for second for game-winning goals, third each for goals and points, and among all skaters, most total ice time (stat only counted since 1997-98).

“He was a great talent. We can agree on this: Andrei is one of the most talented defensemen I’ve ever seen. We didn’t call him The General for nothing,” praised Theodore of Markov, who became a Canadian citizen in 2010. “When he was in front of me, I’m not saying I’d let my guard down, but I knew he didn’t make mistakes. I knew what to expect. All the time, 100 miles an hour, extremely intelligent on the ice. I was privileged to say he was my defenseman for five years, because he made my life easy.”

A career worth saluting indeed.