The Montreal Canadiens are currently without a captain, as the title was vacated when Max Pacioretty was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for a pretty decent haul of Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki, and a second-round draft pick. Pacioretty was captain for three seasons, of which two were marred by cataclysmic collapses due to various injuries to key pillars on the team.
Rumours are swirling that the team will name a captain, only their fifth in over 20 years, before the season starts, so that could mean in the next few days as the pre-season is winding down. The frontrunners to follow Pacioretty as captain are sparkplug veteran forward Brendan Gallagher and the injured All-Star defenceman Shea Weber. They’re both worthy candidates in their own right, and it could come down to a tight player vote, unless the management decides to choose a captain instead, as was the case with Brian Gionta who was named by head coach Jacques Martin.
There have been plenty of tight player votes in the past. Saku Koivu won by a single vote over Shayne Corson in 1999. In 1989, several rounds of voting could not break the tie between Guy Carbonneau and Chris Chelios, so they were named co-captains.
September 15th, 1989: Three rounds of player voting could not break the tie between Chris Chelios and Guy Carbonneau, so both were named co-captains of the Montreal Canadiens. (Photo: La Presse) pic.twitter.com/L9PpHlfYeA
— Andrew Zadarnowski (@AZadarski) September 28, 2018
There were also some bruised egos in these circumstances. In one instance Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion famously stormed out of the Canadiens’ locker room when he lost the captaincy vote to Jean Béliveau in 1961.
The Canadiens have a storied history of captains, and with each added name to the list, an additional notch is added to the team’s century-old lore.
How well do you know your history? Take the quiz below to find out. Press “Play” and start entering names. Good luck!
