Former Canadien Plekanec Retires, Leaving Legacy in Montreal

Since leaving the Montreal Canadiens simply three video games into 2018-19, he has spent the following six seasons enjoying in Czechia, serving to his hometown staff of Kladno earn promotion to the highest league twice. He served as a veteran presence, offering his NHL expertise whereas enjoying alongside his longtime pal, Jaromir Jagr. 

With his retirement from enjoying the game of hockey, it offers followers of the sport a chance to look again at his influence on the sport, the followers, and the town. For practically twenty years, he gave Montreal thrilling moments and performed a method of play that made him a fan favourite. Most of all, he left a legacy behind that also impacts the franchise right this moment and is predicted to for a lot of seasons to come back. 

Plekanec’s Canadiens Tenure 

Plekanec, who performed 1,001 NHL video games, 984 of these common season video games with the Canadiens, final suited up in the NHL throughout the 2018-19 season. Since leaving the NHL, he has performed in Czechia, split between the Brno Kometa and, extra not too long ago, the Kladno Knights. Some might ask, what in regards to the lacking 17 video games? Few followers need to keep in mind his sporting the Toronto Maple Leafs sweater because of his trade to the rival membership, however he did, very briefly. He re-signed with the Canadiens the next season to succeed in the 1,000-game mark and retire as a Montreal Canadien. 

A 3rd-round draft decide of the Canadiens in 2001, Plekanec grew to become well-known for his signature goatee and sporting a Canadiens-branded turtleneck all through his profession. Since his full-time arrival in 2005-06, Plekanec grew to become an efficient participant, recording 47 factors in his rookie season. He adopted that up as he took a serious growth step into turning into a prime two-way heart in the NHL. 

Plekanec had seven 20-goal seasons in his NHL profession, 5 of these in consecutive seasons from 2006-07 via 2010-11. He led the Canadiens in factors in two of these seasons. Tomas Plekanec was a constant offensive producer, but it surely was his defensive play that supplied the best worth. During his NHL profession, Plekanec had additionally constructed a extremely respectable worldwide profession. He represented Czechia at two World Junior Championships (together with the 2001 gold medal), eleven IIHF Men’s World Championships (profitable two bronze and one silver medal), and two Winter Olympics. 

Related: Canadiens Need Sleeper Picks to Become a Contender

Latest News & Highlights

Fans will look again on his profession and level to the 2009-10 season; Plekanec had one of the best season of his profession, scoring 25 objectives and 70 factors. He was the underdog Canadiens’ prime scorer going right into a playoff that noticed the staff shock the hockey world by toppling two giants, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals, each in a seven-game collection en path to the Conference Finals. Providing Montreal, at the moment, the deepest playoff run since their 1993 Stanley Cup championship. That season marked the start of a aggressive period for the Canadiens that included three 100-plus level seasons, three division titles, and another berth in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Canadiens Legacy 

There is not any query the best failure of every iteration of the Canadiens’ entrance workplace over the past 30 years has been the shortcoming to discover a prime heart. During Plekanec’s tenure with the Canadiens, the main target of the franchise had been protection. They drafted a franchise goaltender in Carey Price, centered on including big-bodied stay-at-home defenders whose objective was to maintain the crease clear and add two-way forwards. In this atmosphere, Plekanec was an important piece, thriving in hotly-contested low-scoring video games. These kinds of contests had been a necessity for a franchise that needed to scratch and claw for wins primarily based not on pure talent however on onerous work. 

When Montreal traded Plekanec to Toronto, their historic rivals, his departure was bittersweet. While his play had been in decline for a couple of seasons, he was nonetheless seen as an necessary participant for his defensive IQ and his management. Toronto wanted these abilities as they had been determined to win a playoff collection, which they couldn’t do till 2023. However, he was full worth in the playoffs, serving to Toronto power a seventh recreation in the primary spherical as he scored two objectives and 4 factors in the collection. 

For a couple of seasons, followers felt his $6 million cap hit was far too excessive for what he dropped at the desk. Despite being one of many league’s higher shutdown facilities, whilst he neared NHL retirement, he was not able to logging top-six minutes, enjoying on prime traces, or filling a job on the facility play. Yet, in his prime, he was among the finest two-way centres in the NHL. He was a wizard in the faceoff circle and supplied offence at a dependable tempo. He performed an important position on the facility play, utilizing his spot on the half wall to open area to permit Andrei Markov to make his magic occur. He was additionally important for the penalty kill. In his peak, Plekanec was an offensive menace shorthanded, pressured turnovers with regularity, and thrived in stress conditions. What gamers who line up towards him will keep in mind most is somebody who pestered them, made it troublesome for them to carry out, and pissed off them on each shift.

His mentorship allowed for the emergence of Phillip Danault as the following two-way heart to influence the Canadiens. His play as the highest shutdown heart helped lead Montreal to their first Stanley Cup Final look since 1993. However, Plekanec’s bigger legacy could also be felt by the participant’s then-general supervisor (GM) Marc Bergevin acquired from his commerce to the Maple Leafs. His commerce tree has an fascinating department. Staring with Rinat Valiev, who was dealt for Brett Kulak. Kulak was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers for a second-round decide, and that decide was then utilized by GM Kent Hughes to pick Lane Hutson. 

Plekanec gave followers in Montreal 15 years, 1,001 video games, 233 objectives, and 606 factors that led to a number of profitable seasons and unexpectedly lengthy playoff runs. He is a beloved former participant whose hockey IQ may in the future permit him to return as a coach. Beyond being a participant who helped outline an period of Habs hockey, he was lively in the neighborhood with many native Montreal charities and can all the time be welcomed again to the town that adopted him for all these years.