Pacioretty feels ‘special and lucky’ to join illustrious list of Habs’ captains
Several times during his Brossard news conference on Friday, when he was introduced as the 29th captain in Canadiens history, Max Pacioretty stopped to catch his breath. He kept his composure, but barely.
The new captain was deeply moved by many things that afternoon, thinking about the hockey path that brought him to this place, the many injuries — at least one of them career-threatening — that he’d overcome, and the sacrifices of family, friends, coaches and teammates from the first day he laced up his skates.
And if Pacioretty resisted the temptation to look down to the C stitched over his heart, it’s because that would have unleashed an entirely different flood of emotions.
“That jersey looks old school,” Pacioretty said of the Canadiens’ 2015-16 vintage-style, laced-neck jersey. “There’s something about seeing the C with my name on an old-school jersey that makes me think of all the people who have worn it.
“I think of how special and lucky I am, not only to wear the C, but just to put on that jersey. It reminds me of the old Habs. That’s the part of it that never really will sink in — the amazing history that I’m going to be part of now.”
Pacioretty is already nicely versed in the history of captains in Montreal, having heard many stories during his seven seasons with the Canadiens, many legends in his midst.
“I knew about everybody on that (28-captain) list, which was cool,” he said. “I know a couple stories about guys being co-captains (Guy Carbonneau and Chris Chelios), about when players voted for a captain and when it was picked by management.
“I was surprised how much I knew. You just absorb that information when you play in Montreal. You hear different stories and start to put them together and you picture eras. You can name the captain to describe an era. ‘Was that guy in the Bob Gainey era or Serge Savard era, or when Serge was GM?’
“I’m not sure if that’s just me or if everyone else does as well. But maybe one day it could be that way about me.”