The Montreal Canadiens are having their year end press conferences today. Most of the players will meet with the media for the last time this season at some point today.
One of the first players to talk was Corey Perry and he clearly wore his emotions on his sleeve.
The veteran right winger signed with the Canadiens just days before training camp began. He inked a one year deal with a $750,000 cap hit which is minimum wage by NHL standards.
Perry started the year by being placed on waivers and sent to the taxi squad. He had to wait for his opportunity but once he got one, he wasn’t taken out of the lineup again. He would go on to score nine goals and 21 points in 49 regular season games and also carve out a role in front of the net on the power play.
Perry formed a formidable trio with Eric Staal and Joel Armia in the postseason. They played fourth line minutes, but were impossible to contain along the boards for defenders and wore out the opposition with their grinding style.
Perry would score the game winning goal in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and finish the playoffs with ten points in 22 games. There is no question his ability on the ice, paired with his experience and leadership off the ice were a huge part of the Canadiens run to the Stanley Cup Final.
When Perry met with the media earlier today, he displayed plenty of emotion when reflecting back on the postseason run. He also let it be known that he really wants to stay in Montreal beyond this season.
Perry mentioned more than once that he would want to experience what Montreal is like in a normal year. This season, there were no fans in the building, aside from the games late in the year which were limited to 3500 spectators. He said it was odd to not have his family with him in Montreal and that he would like to experience a season here under usual circumstances.
Corey Perry s’adresse aux médias en direct pour son bilan de fin de saison.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 9, 2021
Corey Perry is live now with his end of season media availability.#GoHabsGo https://t.co/cwmD3YDK7L
Perry was clearly emotional during his press conference and clearly stated a desire to stay in Montreal beyond this season. With everything he brought to the team on and off the ice, it would be wise of Marc Bergevin to get Perry signed to a contract extension before he can hit free agency on July 28.