Josh Gorges got his place in the British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame on Saturday, and he had a familiar face there to share the moment. Carey Price, his former Canadiens teammate, was in attendance to celebrate the honor after being inducted himself in 2024.
Gorges entered the Hall alongside Andrew Ladd, Travis Green, Daryl Reaugh, Malcolm Ashford, and the Vernon Vipers teams from 2008-09 and 2009-10. For a player whose game was built on grit, structure, and doing the hard jobs, the recognition fits. He was never the flashiest blueliner on the ice, but he made a career out of shot blocking, breaking up plays, and bringing a relentless work ethic every night.
Over 13 NHL seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Canadiens, and Buffalo Sabres, Gorges appeared in 783 games and finished with 124 points and 404 penalty minutes. His longest stretch came in Montreal, where he spent eight of those seasons and played 464 games for the Sainte-Flanelle. In that span, he recorded 88 points and 192 penalty minutes.
He also became part of the Canadiens’ leadership core, wearing an A for two seasons. Beyond the numbers, his impact showed up in the dressing room too.
Gorges played a key role in Brendan Gallagher’s early development, opening his home to the rookie when Gallagher first joined the Habs. At the end of the 2011-12 season, Gorges was rewarded with the Jacques Beauchamp Trophy as the team’s unsung hero.
His time in Montreal ended on July 1, 2014, when he was traded to the Sabres. Had it been up to him, he likely would have stayed with the Canadiens to finish his career. Instead, the move came after he famously refused to be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, saying he couldn’t see himself playing for a team he spent years despising.
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Another Atlantic Move Just Turned Up The Heat On Kent Hughes
Another Atlantic Division domino has fallen, and it matters in Montreal because every comparable contract helps shape the market Kent Hughes is navigating. Peyton Krebs and the Sabres have settled on a long-term extension, taking one more name out of the summer arbitration picture and giving Buffalo another piece of offseason certainty as it continues reshaping its roster.
For the Canadiens, the timing is hard to ignore with Kirby Dach still set for a July 30 arbitration hearing. Krebs recent production gives the deal some context, but the bigger takeaway for Hughes is how quickly neighboring teams are locking in their young forwards, which only sharpens the pressure on Montreal as its own negotiation clock keeps ticking. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Entered One Of Summers Biggest Money Stories
The first wave of NHL free agency has already produced a few eye-catching deals, but Montreals place in the conversation comes through Ivan Demidov, whose extension stands among the biggest commitments signed since July 1. The Canadiens have spent the summer watching the market get reset around them, with other notable names like Leo Carlsson, Bowen Byram, Rasmus Andersson and Nico Hischier helping define the early spending spree across the league.
For Montreal, the real significance is less about the headline value than the security it creates around a player the organization clearly wants to anchor its future. The deal does not begin until 2027-28, which means the Canadiens can plan well ahead while the rest of the league keeps sorting through a still-active market that includes several unsigned names, from Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko to Jason Robertson, Adam Fantilli and Connor Bedard. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Tense Kirby Dach Decision This Summer
Kirby Dachs summer has taken a familiar turn for a young player still trying to establish his place in Montreal. He is the only Canadiens player to elect for arbitration, and his hearing is set for July 30, giving the club and the forward a narrow window to settle on a new deal before a third party steps in and decides the price.
For the Canadiens, the situation is about more than just one contract number. Dach filed after receiving a qualifying offer from Montreal, and the final figure could shape both his role on the roster and the teams flexibility if general manager Kent Hughes decides to explore trade options later on. For now, the clock is ticking, and Montreal still has time to work out an agreement before the hearing becomes unavoidable. [Read more 🡒]