*Photo from the Hockey Writers*
There is more and more news coming out of Quebec as it pertains to hockey. The Montreal Canadiens have named C/RW Nick Suzuki as their next team captain, according to an announcement on Monday by the team.
Shea Weber was the previous captain of the Canadiens, wearing the C for 4 seasons until last season, when he didn't play due to injury and is likely never to play again. Weber was traded this offseason to the Golden Knights in a cap dump for the Canadiens. Evgenii Dadonov joined Montreal in the trade.
Montreal executive vice president Jeff Gorton said of Suzuki that "The thing about Nick, sometimes you talk to a 23-year-old, he feels like he's 18, but Nick is the opposite. He's a very even-keeled guy. When I talk to him, I feel like he's 30 years old and I feel like he's been in the League a long time, even though he hasn't. I think Nick is a great fit for where we are and where we're going."
Being selected as captain makes Suzuki the youngest captain in Canadiens history, at the age of 23. The previous youngest captain was Hall of Fame defenseman Sylvio Mantha in the 1926-1927 season. Suzuki joins Paul Kariya as the second captain in NHL history of Asian Heritage.
Suzuki becomes the 31st captain in Canadiens history with the news. He was chosen with the 13th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights, and was traded to the Canadiens as part of the deal that sent Max Pacioretty from Montreal to Vegas. He has played in 209 consecutive games, tied with Elias Lindholm for the 6th longest active streak.
Asked about becoming the latest Canadiens captain, Suzuki said that "It's an honor for me to become captain of the Montreal Canadiens. It's a true honor for me and a privilege. This team is headed in a great direction and I couldn't be more excited to be the captain and represent the team. It means a lot just to see the respect that the management, teammates, coaches have for me. I know it's a big role but I think I'm ready for it, and there's a bright future here and I'm excited to be part of it."
Last season was Suzuki's 3rd in the NHL. He ended the regular season with 21 goals and 40 assists, recording a -20 plus/minus rating over 20:31 of average ice time per game, suiting up in all 82 regular season games for the Canadiens, who had a dismal 22-49-11 record.
All of Suzuki's 3 NHL seasons have been with Montreal. He has 49 goals and 94 assists to his name, posting a -49 plus/minus rating over an average 18:21 of ice time per game in 209 career regular season games. Suzuki has 11 goals and 12 assists in 32 career playoff games.
In addition to Suzuki being named captain, the Canadiens also announced that RW Brendan Gallagher and D Joel Edmundson will serve as alternate captains. The Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes, and Calgary Flames are the only teams in the NHL to not have a current captain.
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