"It's emotional for him, obviously. Being drafted here, playing so many years, having a lot of success here, as well," Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw said. "It's always different coming back playing your former team but I think he enjoyed it. He was working hard and competing so hats off to him."
Montreal coach Claude Julien only had Pacioretty for 1 1/2 seasons, but the veteran was captain during that time.
"You know, I was a year and a half with Max, but he was our captain here and I had lots of conversations with him. And I also realize what he's done for this organization in the 10 years he's been here. And there's a time where you have to appreciate what a player has done," Julien said. "I appreciated our players standing up afterwards and banging their sticks on the boards. They showed a lot of respect for Max and for us I think there's no reason not to clap and appreciate the video for what he's done here for this organization."
NHL.com correspondent Sean Farrell contributed to this report.
