Kent Hughes’ first press briefing | “Opportunity of a Lifetime”

The Canadiens didn’t hire a friend… but did hire the best candidate available.

Richard Labbe
The Press

It is, roughly, the message that was repeated and repeated again by the management of the Canadian, in a well ventilated Bell Center at the end of the day on Wednesday, at the time of the official presentation of the new general manager of the club, Kent Hughes.

The hiring of the ex-agent of players will have taken time; the course began in December and only concluded last Sunday. In total, 11 candidates marched in front of management, and this total was reduced to three during the final round, “an efficient and complete process”, said owner Geoff Molson.

Au final, il y a eu un grand gagnant, évidemment, mais Geoff Molson a expliqué que rien n’avait été décidé d’avance.

Gorton, executive vice-president of hockey operations for the Canadiens, made a point of saying, with all possible respect and as a joke, that Hughes “is not [son] best friend”, but he nevertheless admitted to a long-standing relationship, which dates back to the negotiation of Patrice Bergeron’s first contract with the Boston Bruins, when he himself was assistant general manager with the Bruins and Hugues was agent of the Quebec player.

Hughes, in very decent French, made a point of saying that he had not inherited the position as one receives a gift. “I wouldn’t be here right now if I didn’t believe in my skills to be the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens,” he told members of the media dispersed in the stands of the Bell Centre.

With a smile, he added that making this kind of decision is not something that is done in two minutes. But in his eyes, it was “the opportunity of a lifetime”.

“I had no hesitation when approached by the team management… it was more that I gave myself a period of reflection. Such a decision was going to have an impact on me, but also on my clients, on my family. I wanted to take the time to think about it, but I can tell you that I’m very excited to be here. »

In the immediate future, the new CEO of CH will jump on a plane and go find the rest of the team in time for the next match, which is scheduled for Thursday evening in Las Vegas, against the Golden Knights.

History will tell us soon enough if he, on the 18th^and general manager of the history of the Montreal Canadiens, will rise to the occasion. In the meantime, the 51-year-old, himself a former hockey player in the minor ranks in the west of the city, comes to realize a little of a dream of a young man when he finally arrives at the home of his team of youth.

“It’s kind of a form of homecoming for me, and it was with great pride that I agreed to join the club of my childhood. »

“It’s definitely Montreal, it’s the city where I grew up… Before accepting the job, I spoke with Bill Guérin [directeur général du Wild du Minnesota], and he said to me: ‟It’s the Canadian! It’s like the New York Yankees, it’s like the Dallas Cowboys… It’s the Canadiens.” Bill said to me, ‘Let’s see, there’s no hesitation in having…’”

A few moments later, Kent Hughes posed proudly with a red jersey, plated with the number 22. The dream can begin… and the work too.

And Ducharme, in all this?

It is known, in the National Hockey League as in life in general, people like to surround themselves with people they know. So, faced with this certainty, it is not far-fetched to wonder what will become of Dominique Ducharme, who is the coach of the Canadiens, but who is obviously not the choice of Kent Hughes.

Ducharme, who should at the very least be able to conclude the season – this is what Jeff Gorton had previously let it be known – will soon have a discussion with the new GM. “I want to discuss with Dominique, he is the coach of the team,” explained Hughes. I’ve only just arrived in office, so I haven’t really had the opportunity to meet him. […] but I’ll talk to him, and we’ll see from there. »