The position of general manager of the Montreal Canadiens is usually synonymous with stability and Kent Hughes surely hopes that the club’s past will guarantee the future.
The 51-year-old Montrealer on Tuesday became the 18th man to land the job in the history of the famous concession. Unlike the head coach seat, the GM seat was held by one person for several years. Moreover, the reign of Marc Bergevin is not to be despised; the current adviser to the GM of the Los Angeles Kings has been in charge for more than nine years, from May 2012 to last November.
Obviously, some were entitled to an even longer mandate. Frank Selke is the one who has acted as general manager the longest in Montreal: he guided the organization to six Stanley Cups, including five in a row from 1956 to 1960, during his mission which lasted from July 1946 to May 1964. His successor Sam Pollock also has no reason to be ashamed of his record, having been in charge until September 1978. He helped the team lift the trophy nine times in years marked by the decade’s dynasty 1970.
Other DGs who carried the torch
Among those who have had long reigns as GM in Montreal is former defender Serge Savard, who led the Habs to two Stanley Cups (1986 and 1993) during his mission that began in 1983 and ended in October 1995. Respectively third and fourth CEO in the history of the concession, George Kennedy (1910-1921) and Léo Dandurand (1921-1935) both spent ten years in the chair of CEO.
On the other hand, there has been more movement since the dismissal of Serge Savard. His replacement Réjean Houle remained in place for just over five years, while André Savard left his post after a term of less than three years. Bob Gainey (2003 to 2010) and Pierre Gauthier (2010 to 2012) then succeeded each other before the arrival of Bergevin.
The general managers of the Canadiens
- Joseph Cattarinich et Jack Laviolette (1909-1910)
- George Kennedy (1910-1921)
- Léo Dandurand (1921-1935)
- Ernest Savard (1935-1936)
- Cecil Hart (1936-1939)
- Jules Dugal (1939-1940)
- Tommy Gorman (1940-1946)
- Frank Selke (1946-1964)
- Sam Pollock (1964-1978)
- Irving Grundman (1978-1983)
- Serge Savard (1983-1995)
- Rejean Houle (1995-2000)
- Andre Savard (2000-2003)
- Bob Gainey (2003-2010)
- Pierre Gauthier (2010-2012)
- Marc Bergevin (2012-2021)
- Kent Hughes (2022-…)
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