Montreal Canadiens: Shea Weber’s Greatest Moments With The Habs
It was over 5 years ago when the Montreal Canadiens traded for a hulking defenseman who would immediately join the organization and capture the hearts of the Canadiens faithful.
There was a great deal of pressure coming for the NHL All-Star and two time Olympic gold medalist, as he was traded for fan favorite P.K Subban. For me personally, Shea Weber quickly became my favorite player on the team as I felt as though he represented everything a hockey player should be, and he is just damn exciting to watch.
Despite the many detractors who claimed that Weber was too old, and he was set to rapidly decline, the man often referred to as “The Man Mountain” gave it his all each and every single game he played for the Montreal Canadiens. However, with that level of dedication and sacrifice, comes a price, and Shea Weber knew the risks, and accepted them anyway to give his team the best chance they had to win.
Unfortunately, it was not enough as the Montreal Canadiens came 3 wins shy of winning the Stanley Cup this past post season in a miracle run that will not soon be forgotten. It was this run, and so many others in the past that have finally caught up to the captain of the Canadiens. With lingering issues to his foot and ankle, not to mention injuries to his knee and thumb, it remains a possibility that #6 has played his last NHL game.
Should that be the case, it would be a tremendous loss for the Canadiens and the NHL as not only would the league be robbed of an elite talent from a play style that is seemingly on its way out of the league, but also the entire league would be without a well respected and outstanding person in Shea Weber. I guarantee that if a poll were taken throughout the league, there would be an extraordinary number of players that respect Weber through what he brings on the ice, but also the impact he has in a locker room. That is not exactly a personality that can easily be replaced. In this spirit, should this be the end of a tremendous career, I would like to reflect on my personal favorite moments of Shea Weber as a Montreal Canadien.
Shea Weber’s Fight against J.T Miller
During Shea Weber’s first season for the Montreal Canadiens, the team made the playoffs and lined up against the New York Rangers. Throughout the season we saw what the imposing defenseman could bring, but it wasn’t until game 2 of the first round of the 2017 playoffs that we got to see Shea Weber fully unleashed.
Weber normally plays a very aggressive game, with a very nasty edge to him, however, he very rarely went over the line in his time with the Canadiens. In the 5 years he played in Montreal, he only got in three fights, one against J.T Miller, one against Mikhail Sergachev and one this past season against Brady Tkachuk. For me personally, I very much enjoy the grittier side of hockey, and quite enjoy when a player stands up for his team and drops the gloves.
During a behind the net scrum, J.T Miller began shoving a few Canadiens players, and in true Shea Weber fashion, he was the first man in to grab the perpetrators. While Miller isn’t known as an incredible fighter, he is a sizeable opponent at 6’1″ and 218lbs, and Weber absolutely manhandled the Rangers winger. As a fan, it was incredible to watch as a massive physical presence who stood up for his teammates was lacking from the Canadiens lineup for quite some time.
Combined with the added bonus of having it against the same Rangers team that knocked out the Canadiens in the conference finals in 2014 was simply the icing on top of the cake. Do I wish that the captain had dropped the gloves a few more times in his time playing for the Canadiens?
Of course, because the only thing that got me more excited than a Shea Weber rocket was a Shea Weber fight. However, at 6’4″ and 229lbs, the heat seeking Sicamous native instilled fear into his opponents with a bone crushing hit, or his patented deep stare that would cause even the toughest of NHL players to wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night.
Furthermore, an understated impact that Weber had on the Canadiens is the concept that they built their entire defense core around the Shea Weber mold. After the team saw how effective Weber’s playstyle was, the Canadiens’ management quickly began building their defense with players similar to Weber and his style. Adding players like Ben Chiarot, and Joel Edmundson who are both players that are well over 6 feet tall and 200lbs, and play a bruising team first style that is very indicative of the style Weber has been playing for close to fifteen years. Something that is going to benefit the Canadiens for a few more years with Chiarot and Edmundson under contract with the team.
Shea Weber Becomes the Captain of the Montreal Canadiens
In October of 2018, Shea Weber was named the 30th captain in Montreal Canadiens history, taking over from Max Pacioretty who had been traded to the Vegas Golden Knights.
It had been quite evident over the course of Weber’s brief tenure with the Canadiens that he was everything that a team could want in a captain. He is a player who leads by example, has a winning reputation, and has a team first mentality that is infectious throughout the locker room. Weber may not be the rousing speech type of leader, but it is undeniable that the team benefited greatly from the leadership of Shea Weber, especially given the promising future of young players like Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Cole Caufield, and Alex Romanov.
While many assumed Brendan Gallagher would have became the captain in 2018, Shea Weber’s reputation throughout the league, and the subsequent respect he commands was undeniable in his selection as the captain of the NHL’s most storied franchise.
In my opinion, Shea Weber has been the most influential and impactful captain the Canadiens have had since Saku Koivu’s tenure in Montreal. Undoubtedly, Weber being selected the captain of the Montreal Canadiens is indicative of him as a player and a person, and was a special moment during his time with the Canadiens.
Weber represents the Canadiens at the All-Star Game
The NHL All Star Weekend, an event that in my opinion has diminished in quality over the past couple of years.
However, one aspect of the skills competition that always got me excited was the hardest shot competition. It was an event that always got me on the edge of my seat to see just how hard some of the biggest in the game could rip them. Who could forget the years of back and forth battling between two of the hardest shooters to ever lace them up?
For years, Zdeno Chara and Shea Weber would constantly go tit for tat to see who could shoot the puck the hardest. As many of you know, Zdeno Chara holds the current record at 108.8 mph (at the NHL Skills Competition), but Shea Weber often came just shy of breaking the record, notching a 108.5 mph mark back in 2015.
So, naturally, with Weber now playing for the Montreal Canadiens, it was only natural that he continue his dominance in the competition as he won it in both years he competed for the Canadiens (2017 & 2020). During this event, we all got to witness the sheer power that #6 could put into one of his legendary slapshots as he easily cracked 100 mph every time. Weber’s slapshot is one of the most prominent aspects of his game, as the mere sight of him raising his stick to the rafters would strike fear into opposing defense, and goaltenders, but also caused many of us Montreal Canadiens fans to grip our seats with anticipation of a Shea Weber blast.
Weber announcing the selection of Caufield
This moment bares a lot of significance to me as it seemed to very much be a “passing of the torch” kind of moment for the Montreal Canadiens organization.
The steady stalwart announcing the selection of the new wunderkind stood out for a multitude of reasons. The primary one being the stars of today are announcing the names of the stars of tomorrow, as there seems to connate a sense of “the changing of the guard”. Which is evident here as the ever reliable Shea Weber announces the selection of Cole Caufield, who has quickly become one of the Canadiens’ most exciting players in recent memory.
This represents that Weber’s time in the spotlight of the Canadiens is nearing it’s end, but Caufield’s bright future is just on the horizon. Secondly, there is no one person who represents the qualities of an organization quite like Shea Weber, so to have him announce the selection of Caufield must have been incredibly surreal for the young Wisconsin native. The same sort of qualities that Caufield would be wise to soak up from the veteran defenseman should he want to enjoy a similarly long and successful career as Weber.
Finally, I personally found it quite interesting to have the largest player on the Canadiens announce the selection of the smallest player to join the current Canadiens roster. Even on the draft floor, it was very evident that Shea Weber was 8 inches taller, and over 60lbs heavier than the future Canadiens’ forward. This was just an interesting event all together to see happen, and I believe it speaks to the level of respect the organization has for Shea Weber, and it was undoubtedly amazing to watch.
The 2021 Stanley Cup Final Run
As my final selection for this list, it has to be what will hopefully not be our last moments watching “The Man Mountain” in action. One of my favorite moments of Shea Weber as a Canadien has to be this recent playoff run. It cannot be understated the sheer effort and willpower the captain had to display in order to perform at the level he was playing at, considering the injuries he was suffering through. The entire playoffs, he looked like vintage Shea Weber, using his long reach and board play to shut down offensive attacks, grinding out viciously in front of the net, delivering bone crunching body checks, jumping in to defend his teammates, and even waving around his lethal one timer. It was Shea Weber competing at a level that we had previously never seen during his time as a Canadien as he seemingly took his game to the next level to help the team reach the Stanley Cup Final. It was inspiring to watch, and incredible to think that he was able to accomplish this whilst being significantly injured. This playoff run meant a lot to a significant amount of Canadiens fans, and Shea Weber was definitely one of the many reasons why I hoped more than anything that the Habs could pull it off. To be able to give players like Shea Weber and Carey Price the team success that they have been unable to attain in their illustrious careers. Shea Weber put everything on the line for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup, and hopefully, it will not be his last chance. It was quite emotional seeing the normally stoic defenseman shedding a tear as he could seemingly see the writing on the wall that this was perhaps it for him. As mentioned, I surely hope that it is not, because Shea Weber deserves a much better fate after everything he has given to the organization and the league. I still find it to be rather shocking that Shea Weber never earned the Norris trophy in his time as one of the top defensemen in the NHL, here’s hoping that there is still time for him to win a Stanley Cup, or at least, play another season in le bleu, blanc, et rouge.
If you have any moments that stood out to you, comment them!