Hall-of-Famer Guy Carbonneau, in addition to Stanley Cup winners Vincent Damphousse, Patrice Brisebois and Chris Nilan, will all debut in their new role with the team starting on Wednesday in activities taking place around the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, which begins Thursday at the Bell Centre.
"We are incredibly proud to formally add Guy, Vincent, Patrice and Chris to the list of legendary names who have worked for our organization as ambassadors following their playing careers," said Geoff Molson, Montreal Canadiens Owner, President, and CEO. "Some of the greatest legends in our history - including Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, and of course Guy Lafleur - all represented us with generosity and grace in this role, and we couldn't be happier to welcome this next generation of impressive individuals to carry the torch passed by those who came before them."
Cournoyer is one of the most decorated players in franchise history, having won 10 Stanley Cup championships during his 16-year career with the Canadiens, including four straight as team captain from 1975-76 to 1978-79. He registered 863 points in 968 games, all as a member of the Canadiens, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982. Houle, the first-overall selection at the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft, played 11 seasons with the Canadiens, winning five Stanley Cups in that span. After hanging up his skates, he returned to the Canadiens in a management role, serving as the team's general manager from 1995 to 2000.
Carbonneau was the premiere defensive forward of his generation, winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy in Montreal for that ability in 1988, 1989, and 1992. He won the Stanley Cup with the team in 1986 and 1993, the latter as captain. Upon his retirement, Carbonneau served as head coach of the Canadiens from 2006 through 2009, and in 2019 was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Damphousse and Brisebois were both key members of the 1993 championship Canadiens team, the former leading the team in scoring in both the regular season and playoffs (120 points in 104 games combined), the latter a stalwart presence on the blue line. Both men were synonymous with the Montreal teams of the 1990s, Damphousse leading the club as captain from 1996 to 1999 and Brisebois playing all the way through 2003-04 before returning from Colorado to end his career with the Canadiens from 2007 through 2009.
Nilan remains for many fans the quintessential Canadiens "tough guy." The only non-Quebec-born member of the four new ambassadors, the Boston native was a grinding presence on the Montreal wing throughout the 1980s, leading the NHL in penalties in 1983-84 and 1984-85 before raising the Stanley Cup with the team in 1986. He's the runaway all-time Canadiens leader in penalty minutes, having amassed 2,248 PIM in 523 career games played.
Fans are invited to take part in a special online pre-Draft Q&A with the new ambassadors hosted by Chantal Machabee this Wednesday, July 6 at 5:00 p.m. that will be streamed live on the team's official Twitch account,
twitch.tv/canadiensmtl
.
