CANADIENS TURN TO DAD TO LEAD YOUNGER SQUAD
Weber named captain even though he’ll likely be out of lineup until mid-December
Shea Weber will wear a “C” on his Canadiens jersey this season after being named the 30th captain in franchise history on Monday.
The Canadiens could also have put a “D” on Weber’s sweater for “Dad” — which is what the 33-year-old defenceman is called by his teammates.
After everything the Canadiens went through over the last year — finishing 28th in the NHL, followed by an off-season “attitude” change by general manager Marc Bergevin that saw former captain Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk shipped out of town — this is a rebuilding team that can really use a father figure for the ups and downs that lie ahead.
My pick for captain would have been Brendan Gallagher because of his leadership qualities and his comfort level dealing with the media — a big part of the job with the Canadiens. But there’s no doubt Weber is the true leader in the locker-room even though he’s a man of few words.
Weber gets that from his own dad, James.
“If you can believe it, he shows way less emotion than me,” Weber said about his father during a news conference Monday afternoon in Brossard.
“He’s always been that way. He’s a mild-mannered, quiet guy and all my friends growing up were scared of him because he didn’t say anything.”
Another reason his friends were scared is because James Weber was a Man Mountain long before his six-foot-four, 230-pound son got that nickname from Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Weber’s work ethic was formed watching his father toil in a B.C. sawmill and his mother Tracy run a hair salon while raising their two boys, including younger brother Brandon.
Weber’s parents taught their sons that family and hard work come first and instilled those values in them. Sadly, Weber’s mother died eight years ago from a brain tumour at age 47.
Weber said his father’s reaction to him being named captain would probably be: “Good job ... don’t mess it up.”
His mother would have been much more emotional.
“For sure, 100 per cent,” Weber said. “It would be an emotional day for her.”
Weber is definitely his father’s son, but like all sons there’s also a big part of his mother inside him.
“You could meet him on the street and if you didn’t know who he was you’d just think: ‘Oh, wow, that’s such a nice person,” said teammate Paul Byron, who will be an alternate captain along with Brendan Gallagher. “Really humble guy. Other than winning a Stanley Cup, I think he’s pretty much won everything there is to win in hockey. His resumé speaks for himself and he could have an inflated ego, but he doesn’t.
“He’s just such a humble person, down to Earth, and I think he’s a person anyone could get along with and relate to. He’s a pretty intimidating guy, but you just realize how friendly he is.”
Weber’s teammates talk about his sense of humour, something the media and Canadiens fans don’t get to see often. But the Man Mountain gave a glimpse of it Monday when asked about the biggest adjustments to life in Montreal after the Canadiens acquired him from the Nashville Predators two summers ago in exchange for P.K. Subban.
“Probably not as much live country music here,” Weber said.
Weber is still recovering from off-season knee surgery and isn’t expected to play until mid-December, but he has been around the team throughout training camp and will continue to be close to his teammates during the regular season, which opens Wednesday when the Canadiens face the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
“Firstly, I’m feeling good and I’m working towards the goal of being back as soon as I can,” Weber said. “I’m going to stay as involved as I can. I’ve been around training camp, around the guys, and I’m proud of the way they’ve responded this year and come out ready to go. I think we’ve got a good team to start the season. Just continue to be around and help out as much as I can without being on the ice.
“I think everyone on the team is just as important as the next guy,” he added. “I think the biggest thing is making everyone feel that way. Whether you play two minutes or 25 minutes, you’re going to make a difference at some point throughout the season or in the playoffs. I just want to make sure that everyone knows they’re just as valuable and you’re not looking at how much somebody makes or how much ice time you play — everyone’s just as important to the team.”
Weber, who has two young children, was asked about his teammates calling him Dad.
“I am a dad, I guess,” he said. “I don’t feel like a dad to these guys. But yeah, I guess it’s just naturally something that they might feel. They do call me Dad.”
Now they can also call him Captain.