Former Habs Captain Announces His Retirement

The Canadiens drafted Max Pacioretty with the 22nd overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, which they received from the San Jose Sharks for veteran defenseman Craig Rivet during the 2007 Trade Deadline. This pick ended up working out extremely well, as even today, it is still benefiting the Habs greatly. Following getting picked, Pacioretty spent a year with the Michigan Wolverines, where he showed that he could be an offensive force, registering 15 goals and 39 points in 37 games during his only season in the NCAA.

After his great freshman season, Pacioretty opted to go pro. The sniper’s first year in the pros was split between the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Habs. He played 37 games to start the season with the Bulldogs, where he scored 6 goals and 29 points, which was among the top players on the team at the time of his call-up with the Habs. Pacioretty ended up playing 34 games with the Habs during the 2008-09 season to start his NHL career, where he managed 3 goals and 11 points in that span. 

He made the team the next year out of camp, but struggled to produce as he only registered 3 goals and 14 points in 52 games that season with the Canadiens. Pacioretty ended up finishing the year in H, where he scored 3 goals and 11 points in 18 games, as well as a goal in 5 playoff matchups.

Knowing what we know now, it’s really shocking to see how Pacioretty struggled to score goals early on in his career and was looking more like a playmaker even at the AHL level. That was soon to change in the 2010-11 season. 

After having a disappointing camp, things were looking bleak for Pacioretty’s future as he was sent down to the Hamilton Bulldogs to start the 2010-11 season; however, things were about to change. During his time in the AHL, he played with a prolific playmaker in David Desharnais, and together they helped each other reach new levels in their game. Pacioretty put up 17 goals and 32 points in 27 games with the Bulldogs. This earned him a call-up to the Canadiens, and Pacioretty stayed hot, scoring 14 goals and 24 points in 37 games.

Unfortunately, on March 8th, the scariest moment of Pacioretty’s career happened when he was hit by Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara and his head smacked against the sharp stantion between the benches. The hit caused Pacioretty to break 2 of his vertebrae and suffer a major concussion, ending his breakout season right there.

The next year, alongside his former AHL linemate and power forward Erik Cole, Pacioretty had his true breakout season in the NHL. In 79 games, he scored 33 goals and 65 points to lead the Habs in points that year. This marked the first of six consecutive seasons where Pacioretty led the Canadiens in points. After the 2011-12 season, he ended up winning the Bill Masterton for coming back strong after such a gruesome injury the year prior. 

Pacioretty would go on to have 5 30-goal seasons with the Canadiens, which is tied for 7th all-time in team history. His best goal scoring came during the 2013-14 season, where he put up 39 goals in 73 games, coming up just short of the 40-goal mark.

However, his best season came in the 2014-15 season when he scored 37 goals and a career-high 67 points in 80 games, while leading the league with a plus/minus rating of +38. Pacioretty also appeared to be a good leader on and off the ice at that point in his career. That summer, he was named the 29th captain in team history.

Unfortunately, as captain, Pacioretty’s play dwindled a bit and saw his numbers dip a bit during the 2015-16 season by scoring 30 goals, which was the lowest he put up in a full season since the 2010-11 season. That year, goaltender Carey Price was out for almost the whole year, and it felt like he had to be the team’s main leader, but that didn’t work well, showing that the sniper couldn’t truly handle the pressure of being a captain.

The next season, he rebounded, but with Carey Price back and the acquisition of Shea Weber, some of the leadership duties were taken off of him, allowing him to play the role of goal scorer that he has succeeded in so much in the past.

However, his final year in Montreal was by far his worst since officially becoming an NHL regular; he failed to appear as a leader at all. He ended up finishing the 2017-18 season with just 17 goals and 37 points in 64 games, looking lazy at times. Following that year, he requested a trade out of Montreal and was eventually traded on September 10th, 2018, to the Vegas Golden Knights for the Canadiens’ now-captain Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar and a 2nd round pick in 2019.

Despite his great years with the Canadiens, he left the organization on horrible terms as team captain, and that’s what he is now remembered for. Pacioretty is remembered also for his playoff struggles with the team, as he never managed to live up to the expectations when it came to playoff performances. He finished his 10-season career with the Habs, scoring 226 goals and 448 points in 626 games.

Following his time with the Habs, Pacioretty remained a fairly effective point producer with the Golden Knights, but he also had a lot of struggles with injuries. He would eventually be shipped off to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he only played 5 games and scored 3 goals due to a hip injury. He would go on to play a year with the Capitals and then finish his career with the Maple Leafs last season. Now, Pacioretty will go work for his Alma mater at the University of Michigan, according to reporter Nick Alberga.

What are your favorite memories of Max Pacioretty with the Habs?