Markov would love to play one final season with Habs
Andrei Markov wants to make it clear he never wanted to leave Montreal.
But two summers ago, when Markov was unable to reach an agreement on a new contract with Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, the defenceman returned home to Russia, signing a two-year KHL deal with Ak Bars Kazan. During his first season in Russia, Markov posted 5-28-33 totals and a plus-7 rating in 55 games and helped Ak Bars Kazan win the Gagarin Cup as KHL champions. Last season, he had 2-12-14 totals and was plus-13 in 49 games.
Now, the 40-year-old is a free agent and would love nothing more than to sign a one-year contract with the Canadiens to finish his playing career and reach the 1,000-game milestone in the NHL. Markov played 16 years with the Canadiens, posting 119453-572 totals in 990 games and earned the same US$5.75-million salary in each of his last 10 seasons.
Two summers ago, Markov was looking for a two-year contract, but Bergevin only wanted to give him one. When asked Tuesday if he later changed his stance and said he would accept a one-year deal before going to the KHL, Markov paused briefly and then said: “Actually, I don’t remember. Probably, yes. But I don’t go back . ... I don’t regret what I did. I spent two years in Russia and we won the championship there.”
Markov is vacationing in Montreal this week with his wife and three of his five children and on Tuesday afternoon sat down for a 30-minute interview at the downtown hotel where they’re staying. Markov looks very fit and had just returned from a gym workout before the interview. He was always a man of few words with the media, but Markov wanted to talk on Tuesday.
Markov didn’t have an agent during his negotiations with Bergevin two summers ago, but said he didn’t think he needed one.
“It’s funny,” he said. “At the end of the last year in Montreal, I had a meeting … we always had a meeting one-on-one with the coach and the GM. In that meeting, Marc asked me if I had an agent or not. I said: ‘No, I don’t have an agent.’ And he was like: ‘That doesn’t matter.’ So, that’s what he said. It’s OK if I don’t have an agent. He can talk to me personally. I guess I’m supposed to have an agent at that time, but I didn’t know that.”
Two summers ago, Markov said the only NHL team he wanted to sign with was the Canadiens. Now, he’s willing to listen to offers from other teams, but his first choice is Montreal.
“That’s my dream, you know,” Markov said. “But it’s not up to me. We’ll see … we’ll see what’s going to happen. I’ll try to train hard and prepare myself. But it’s not just my decision. I’m trying to prepare myself for that, but we’ll see what’s going to happen, you know. Most probably it’s going to be my last year. I’m looking for a one-year contract and try to enjoy that and give my all.”
Markov added there’s no point looking back at what happened two summers ago.
“Whatever happened at that time, it happened,” he said. “They have their view, I have my view, that’s it. … (Bergevin’s) got his own job, he’s got his own view and that’s his job to build the team the way he sees that team. I’m not against him. I always loved the team, loved this city and I always will. But, like I said, whatever happened that time … that’s life, you know.”
At one point during contract negotiations, Bergevin said he had given offers to both Markov and fellow Russian free-agent Alexander Radulov and it was a case of “first come, first served.” Bergevin ended up unable to sign either player, with Radulov accepting an offer from the Dallas Stars, and the Canadiens missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons while playing more than $8 million under the NHL salary cap both years. The Canadiens are now $4.044 million under the cap for next season.
When asked Tuesday about the first-come, first-served offers, Markov said: “I didn’t pay attention, probably. It was kind of, I don’t know. … Like I said, I had my view at that point and it didn’t happen and we didn’t communicate well, probably.
But I’m not complaining about it. That’s his job and he did his job.”
Markov definitely could have helped the Canadiens the last two seasons, especially on the power play. He could probably still help.
Markov said he hasn’t spoken with Bergevin over the last two years, but added the GM has been made aware he’d like to return to the Canadiens.
What would Markov have said to Bergevin if the GM had been sitting across from him in the hotel lobby on Tuesday?
“I would say bonjour,” Markov said with a big smile.
Apart from his bald head, Andrei Markov certainly doesn’t look like a 40-year-old.
A very fit-looking Markov, wearing a T-shirt, shorts and running shoes, sat down for an interview Tuesday afternoon at a downtown Montreal hotel where he is vacationing this week with his family. The former Canadiens defenceman is hoping to return to the NHL next season after playing the last two years in the KHL with Ak Bars Kazan.
“I know I’m 40, but it doesn’t feel like I’m 40,” said Markov, who is hoping to sign a one-year contract with an NHL team for next season, preferably the Canadiens. “I worked hard over the summer and I’ve done some stuff I never did before. I put in lots of work this summer and I’m looking forward … we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
Markov never wanted to leave the Canadiens, but was unable to come to a contract agreement with GM Marc Bergevin two summers ago. Instead, he returned home to Russia with his family and helped Ak Bars Kazan win the Gagarin Cup as KHL champions in his first season, when he posted 5-28-33 totals in 55 games and was plus-7. Last season, Markov had 2-12-14 totals in 49 games and was plus-13 with Ak Bars Kazan getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
When asked Tuesday what he has missed most about Montreal, Markov replied: “Everything.”
“Start from the bad roads, the crazy traffic,” he added with a smile. “The most is probably playing for the Canadiens. When you step on the ice you feel the fans, they ’re so passionate and they support each game and you feel like the crowd’s got your back behind you. That feeling is kind of like something special, you know.”
The Canadiens selected Markov in the sixth round (162nd overall) of the 1998 NHL Draft and he went on to play 16 seasons with the club, posting 119-453-572 totals in 990 games. Reaching the 1,000-game milestone in the NHL is something Markov wants to do, preferably with the Canadiens. Only five men have ever played 1,000 games with the club: Henri Richard (1,258), Larry Robinson (1,202), Bob Gainey (1,160), Jean Béliveau (1,125) and Claude Provost (1,005).
“It’s something you want to be there,” Markov said about the milestone. “It’s important, you know. But most important probably is to try to play one more year in the NHL, to prove that I can still play in that level.”
Which means if the Canadiens aren’t interested, Markov is willing to listen to offers from other NHL teams. “You never know,” he said. “Right now, I’m going to say ‘why not?’ For example, if the Canadiens don’t want me anymore and any other team gives me an offer or gives me an opportunity to play, I’ll probably take that.”
If there’s no interest from the NHL, Markov hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to the KHL.
“Yeah, maybe,” he said. “Like I said before, it’s most probably going to be my last year as a professional hockey player. I will enjoy it. I will go somewhere just to play, go somewhere to have fun, to enjoy the game, you know.”
The Canadiens have missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons without Markov. During his final season with the Canadiens, Markov had 6-30-36 totals in 62 games and was plus-18 while averaging 21:50 of ice time.
When asked if he had a message now for Canadiens fans, Markov smiled and said: “Be patient.”
He added: “I’d like to tell them thank you for all the support they gave me and they always give to the team. Stay passionate, stay believing. Everybody knows it’s not easy, Montreal Canadiens are not easy to play (for). … But when the fans support the players, it gives them a lot of power.”