MONTREAL – Montreal Canadiens Owner, President and Chief Executive Officer Geoff Molson announced on Tuesday that the team has agreed to terms on multi-year contract extensions with hockey executive Jeff Gorton, as well as with General Manager Kent Hughes. Molson also announced that Gorton became President of Hockey Operations. Both executives were in the final year of their previous contracts.
“I am very pleased that Jeff and Kent have committed to the Montreal Canadiens for an additional five years. Their commitment to building a world class organization has been unrelenting and will only get better as we progress in the years to come,” said Geoff Molson. " I would like to thank Jeff and Kent for taking this team and organization to where it is today, full of talent, size and speed with a support structure that is second to none, an objective from day one. I look forward to many more years working with them.”
Gorton joined the Canadiens on November 28, 2021, and quickly made numerous structural changes to the team's hockey operations department. He established the first-ever analytics department and hired several key members of the organization's hockey development department, including Adam Nicholas, as Director, Hockey Development. Among his most notable appointments are those of General Manager Kent Hughes, Co-Director of Amateur Scouting Nick Bobrov, and Special Advisor to Hockey Operations Vincent Lecavalier.
“I would like to thank Geoff Molson for his continued trust in Kent and I. We are excited for the opportunity to continue the work we began four years ago,” said President of Hockey Operations, Jeff Gorton. “We believe our team has made significant progress and we look forward to building on the foundation in place and competing at a high level for years to come. I would also like to acknowledge that this announcement is a reflection on the tireless work and efforts our entire staff has put in. Lastly, thank you to our loyal fans. Your tremendous passion and energy drive us and inspire us every day.”
Before joining the Canadiens, Gorton honed his skills in the Boston Bruins’ hockey operations management group from 1992 to 2007, including the last eight seasons as assistant general manager. He then joined the New York Rangers as a professional scout at the start of the 2007-08 season, taking on various roles in hockey operations over the years that followed, before being promoted to general manager of the Rangers in 2015.
Hughes was named general manager of the Canadiens on January 18, 2022, becoming the 18th person to hold this position in team history. Under the guidance of the Montreal native, the team has made several notable roster moves, significantly changing the identity and culture of the team he had inherited. One of Hughes' first decisions was the hiring of Head Coach Martin St-Louis on February 9, 2022.
“Geoff Molson’s support has been essential to the work Jeff and I have done, and I would like to thank him for his trust and support in us. We have big ambitions for this team, and for that reason, we consider the work that was done so far as just the beginning,” said general manager, Kent Hughes. “Creating an environment that benefits both individual and collective player development remains our top priority. We're encouraged by the progress the team’s made, but we’re also committed to staying patient and calculated in our actions, trusting the process of our long-term plan."
Hughes had a wealth of management experience in the hockey world prior to joining the organization, primarily as a partner and certified agent representing several prominent names in the NHL with the renowned Quebec-based firm Quartexx Management.
Under their leadership, the Canadiens reached the 2024-25 NHL playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season, doing so as the youngest team to qualify.
