Nick Suzuki is the new captain of the Montreal Canadiens.
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It was during the team’s golf tournament on Monday in Laval that Habs head coach Martin St-Louis made the announcement.
Suzuki, who spent the summer in Montreal, thus becomes the 31st captain in the history of the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge. He will be assisted by Brendan Gallagher and Joel Edmundson in his new role.
“Hello, it’s an honor for me to be the next captain of the Montreal Canadiens,” Suzuki said in French before starting his round of golf, indicating that he intended to accelerate his learning of the language of Molière. .
“It is a great privilege and a huge honor for me to be the captain of the team. The club is heading in the right direction. The future looks bright and I am excited to be part of it,” he added in English.
The 23-year-old Ontarian succeeds Shea Weber, whose contract was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in return for Evgeni Dadonov this summer.
Himself obtained from the Golden Knights four years earlier, Suzuki recently established himself as the club’s No. 1 center. Frequently flanked by Cole Caufield in 2021-2022, he was the Habs’ leading scorer with 21 goals and 61 points in 82 games.
lead by example
Suzuki also revealed that St-Louis had spoken to him about such an appointment about two months ago. After a period of reflection, he felt able to take over and will do everything in his power to guide the team in the right direction.
“It means a lot, just to see the respect [à mon égard] management and teammates. I know it’s an important role, but I think I’m ready for it.”
Don’t count on him, however, to make big speeches in the locker room. He will stay true to himself.
“I want to show up for work every day and lead by example. It’s what I’ve always done since I started playing when I was younger and to get to the pros. I want to say the right things at the right time and I believe I have learned from great leaders over the years.”
If many considered him a serious candidate, Gallagher gave his blessing to his young teammate.
“Since he arrived, he has stood up in the important moments, as he has already shown in the playoffs. […], he argued. Several times in his young career, when we needed someone, he showed up, he was the man for the job. He scored big roughs in key situations and he will continue to develop.”
“It doesn’t change anything for me. My job is to support Nick. I will do anything to help him and he will be our leader no matter what. Either way, we’ll be there for him. He may be young, but he’s ready for this opportunity and very comfortable. He has the full support of our locker room and we are happy to follow him,” added number 11.
Suzuki will also begin a new eight-year contract in 2022-2023 that will earn him $7.875 million.