Canadiens bring back 11 former captains for 110th anniversary celebration
Chelios, Cournoyer, Savard among the legends on hand for game vs. Islanders
by Sean Farrell / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
MONTREAL -- Shea Weber was in esteemed company as part of the select brotherhood of Montreal Canadiens captains gathered at Bell Centre on Tuesday.
The current Montreal captain was one of 12 Canadiens captains who were on hand for the Canadiens' 110th birthday celebration prior to the game against the New York Islanders.
Hall of Fame members Yvan Cournoyer, Serge Savard, Bob Gainey, Chris Chelios and Guy Carbonneau were honored in a pregame ceremony along with Kirk Muller, Mike Keane, Pierre Turgeon, Vincent Damphousse, Saku Koivu and Brian Gionta. Henri Richard was unable to take part because of health issues, and Max Pacioretty was in New Jersey playing for the Vegas Golden Knights.
The 11 former captains each were shown on the video board looking at their respective photos on a display of Canadiens captains in the lobby while they were introduced in order. Then they walked through the crowd to gather together at center ice, where they were joined by Weber for a photo of their exclusive club.
"Walking in the room today and looking around and seeing all the big names and the Hall of Famers, you know, you really felt the history and all the years behind," said Koivu, who drew the biggest ovation when he was introduced. "And then you look at the picture on the wall and it kind of made me realize once again what a special place and what an accomplishment it was to be a captain here."
The rest of the current edition of the Canadiens then gathered around them for another photo opportunity, with Chelios catching Max Domi and helping him remain upright after the Montreal forward stumbled on the blue carpet.
Domi wore Guy Lafleur's No. 10 jersey during the pregame warmup as each member of the Canadiens donned the jersey of a Canadiens great. Goalie Carey Price wore Jacques Plante's No. 1, Weber wore Larry Robinson's No. 19, Phillip Danault wore Jean Beliveau's No. 4, Charles Hudon wore Maurice Richard's No. 9, and rookie Nick Suzuki wore Howie Morenz's No. 7, the first number retired by the Canadiens after the legendary forward's death in 1937.
The Canadiens were formed on Dec. 4, 1909 as one of the founding teams in the National Hockey Association, the NHL's predecessor.