Free washer | The Canadian made a brilliant choice

Barely thirty minutes after Jeff Gorton’s first press conference in Montreal on December 6, the reflex was to make a phone call to Kent Hughes.

Mathias Brunet
The Press

The new vice-president of hockey operations of the Canadian had drawn up the profile of his ideal candidate for the position of general manager, someone complementary, an agent perhaps, but someone who also speaks French.

Kent Hughes was a prolific agent, Vincent Lecavalier, Patrice Bergeron, Kristopher Letang, Darnell Nurse, he had grown up in Quebec, played for the Lac Saint-Louis Lions, of which he was the captain, then the Saint-Laurent Cégep team , before moving to the United States, to Vermont, then to Massachusetts.

Our man responded immediately, as he always responds, unless in cases of force majeure. The conversation took place in French, as in each of the telephone discussions for fifteen years.

Kent Hughes obviously did not confirm his interest in the job five weeks ago during this call. It was too early in the process, and his player agency was going full steam ahead. Why sacrifice tens of millions of dollars for such an emotionally demanding position?

The conversation lasted about twenty minutes. True to form, Kent Hughes has painted a fairly complete picture of the situation, without compromising himself or another. Enough to confirm the solid bond he had with Jeff Gorton, a native of Massachusetts, and enough to understand that the VP of hockey operations for the Canadiens had asked him about Montreal and its market before accepting the position.

Hughes called back about 30 minutes later to request that his name not be associated with the list of candidates, but the text was already online. He didn’t care.

How to describe Kent Hughes, this trained lawyer, over the course of rich conversations over almost two decades, always ready to set the record straight, in the thorny case of concussions, from which his clients Patrice Bergeron and Matthew Lombardi suffered, or even advantages of the NCAA compared to the QMJHL, and vice versa?

An extraordinary knowledge of hockey and its main players, of course. An extremely intelligent, curious, thoughtful, modest, Cartesian, discreet man too. How can a player’s agent as prominent in Quebec as Vincent Lecavalier, Patrice Bergeron and Kristopher Letang remain so unknown in his own province? These are undeniable qualities for a general manager. In several respects, he can remind Julien BriseBois.

Kent Hughes was a young student at Boston Law School when he started working for agent Jay Fee. Hughes was breaking down the new collective agreement for him.

This Montrealer launched his own agency before the turn of the century. In 1999, in his second season in Tampa, Vincent Lecavalier was looking for a new agent. He was targeting a large agency.

Hughes contacted his brother, Philippe, whom he had coached a few years earlier on a spring AAA hockey team in West Montreal.

Vincent Lecavalier agreed to meet Hughes, but reluctantly. The meeting was to last an hour. Six hours of talks later, Hughes had just landed his first big name. A year later, Philippe began to work with him. The adventure was launched.

The mutual respect between Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes is not to be despised. The two men will talk to each other as equals, and Hughes will be strong enough to challenger his interlocutor.

Interestingly, Kent Hughes’ two sons, Riley, drafted by Jeff Gorton’s Rangers in 2018, and Jack, play for the Northeastern Huskies. One of the Canadian’s best defensive prospects, Jordan Harris, is also there.

Harris surprised the Canadian by turning down a contract offer last spring to play a final season in the NCAA. Originally from Massachusetts, he has never hidden his attachment to the Bruins. Will the arrival of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes in the management of CH tip the scales in favor of Montreal?

Our 51-year-old isn’t the first agent, or attorney, to step into the role of CEO. Julien BriseBois is a lawyer by training. Bill Zito, who turned the Florida Panthers, is a former agent and attorney. Mike Gillis also made the jump to the Vancouver Canucks, without forgetting of course the late Pierre Lacroix with the Quebec Nordiques, which became the Colorado Avalanche.

Kent Hughes will be introduced to the media on Wednesday. You will discover a simple man, without artifice, but brilliant. The Canadian made a good choice.

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After a season of 66 points, including 30 goals, in 78 games at age 22, in 2019, this young San Jose Sharks forward saw his production decline over the next two seasons. There have even been trade rumors regarding him. Timo Meier, formerly of the Halifax Mooseheads and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, scored five goals on Monday. Meier, 25, now has 45 points, including 20 goals, in 35 games, eighth in NHL scoring. The journey of young players in the National Hockey League is anything but linear.