Leadership was an enormous part of his job, with Pacioretty having filled the Canadiens captaincy after a one-year vacancy.
It wouldn't be Pacioretty's only election victory this season. Teammates voted him the Canadiens nominee for the NHL's King Clancy Memorial Trophy, recognizing on- and off-ice leadership and humanitarian contributions to the community; Pacioretty's foundation, which will stage a fundraising golf tournament north of Montreal this summer, works with the Montreal General Hospital Foundation to support the hospital's traumatic brain-injury project.
Of course, the Canadiens, who finished 13th in the Eastern Conference, were far from a success this season, the glimmers of good performances and occasional bright spots notwithstanding. No one knows that better than Pacioretty, who in his new role absorbed all he could in a unique hockey market, educated game after game in a classroom with 20,000-plus teachers.
"We weren't perfect this year, that's obvious," he said. "We didn't make the playoffs. We all can be better. I know it starts with me as captain. I have to find ways to be better for my teammates on and off the ice, that's part of the process. I don't think any captain was perfect in his first year.
"You get more and more comfortable with it. If speaking doesn't come from the heart and it's not genuine, then it's not the right thing to do. Sometimes, you don't have to say anything at all. You can just lead on the ice. It's all just learning as you go, hearing from other players or coaches who have been in situations like this.