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Canadiens add Vinny Lecavalier to their front office

The former Lightning star will serve as a special adviser to hockey operations.
 
Former Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier is introduced during his jersey retirement ceremony in 2018 at Amalie Arena. The Montreal Canadiens hired Lecavalier to serve as a special adviser to hockey operations.
Former Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier is introduced during his jersey retirement ceremony in 2018 at Amalie Arena. The Montreal Canadiens hired Lecavalier to serve as a special adviser to hockey operations.
Published Feb. 18, 2022|Updated Feb. 19, 2022

MONTREAL — The Canadiens added former Lightning star Vinny Lecavalier to their front office Friday.

Lecavalier, 41, will serve as a special adviser to hockey operations. Montreal also added Nick Bobrov as co-director of amateur scouting.

Lecavalier of Ile Bizard, Quebec, was drafted first overall by the Lightning in 1998 and spent 14 seasons with the team. He won a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004 — current Canadiens interim head coach Marty St. Louis was a teammate — and won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy three years later for leading the NHL in goals with a career-high 52. He later spent time with Philadelphia and Los Angeles before retiring after the 2015-16 season.

Related: Marty St. Louis was a coach in the making as a Lightning player

Lecavalier amassed 949 points (421 goals, 528 assists) in 1,212 career NHL games. The Lightning retired his No. 4 in 2018.

He said he’s eager to work with his former teammate.

“I’m not surprised about Marty because I know his mind and the way it works from being around him for so long,” Lecavalier said. “I don’t want to put more pressure on him, but he’ll be one of the top coaches. He just knows the game, the pulse of his team, and the communication with the players. … I know from talking to him that he’s really excited about it. I’m not in that locker room right now, but you can really feel that he’s got a plan and the guys are really engaged and they want to learn. I think they’re just going to get better every week.”

Bobrov will share the scouting position with Martin Lapointe. He joins Montreal after six seasons as the New York Rangers’ director of European scouting (2015-2021) and also held that position with Boston (2001-06).

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