Weber: 'It really is an honor. I don't know if you can put it into words'

BROSSARD - The new captain of the Montreal Canadiens, Shea Weber, took to the podium for the first time in a bleu-blanc-rouge sweater adorned with the captain's "C" on Monday at the Bell Sports Complex.

The 33-year-old veteran began with a few remarks in French to make it all official.
"Hello everyone, it's an honor for me to become captain of the Montreal Canadiens," he said in the language of Molière.
Weber will captain the second team of his NHL career, after previously wearing the "C" for the Nashville Predators for six seasons from 2010-11 to 2015-16. In 443 contests as the Predators' captain, he collected 102 goals and 175 assists for 277 points, and the British Columbia native is thrilled to undertake the endeavor again in Montreal.
"It really is an honor. I don't know if you can put it into words. It's an honor, I don't know how many times you can say that. You look at the guys in our dressing room, guys who have worn this letter in this organization's history. It's special," said Weber. "I was excited and elated to be with this group of guys and help lead them back to success."

If there's one thing Weber would like to impart on his fellow Habs, it's the need to respect each and every player in the room, to help them reach the highest pinnacles of success.
"On behalf of myself, the assistant captains and the rest of my team, we're going to do our best to instill pride and bring this team back to success," he declared.
"I think everyone on the team is just as important as the next guy. I think the biggest thing is making everyone feel that way, whether you play two minutes or 25 minutes," he added. "I just want to make sure everyone knows they're just as valuable, and we're not looking at how much somebody makes or how much ice time you play. Everyone is just as important to the team."
On the shelf, but in the fold
Weber will be out of action for the foreseeable future after undergoing knee surgery in July, but has remained as close to his teammates as he could without being able to be out on the ice with them.
"As far as doing as many things as I can with the team, I'm going to try to stay as involved as I can. I've been around the guys in training camp. I'm proud of the way they've responded this year and come out ready to go. We have to continue that to start the season," he explained. "I'll just continue to be around and help out as much as I can without being on the ice with them."

The Canadiens' regular season begins on Wednesday night in Toronto when they take on the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.