Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry is opening tabs at two different local restaurants to feed hospital employees during the coronavirus pandemic.

As the veteran explained in an Instagram post, he will open $2,500 tabs at Mandy Salads and Notre-Boeuf-de-Grace beginning Sunday for anyone who shows a hospital badge to receive a free meal.

Petry explained his admiration for the hospital workers in the post:

"The around the clock hours they are working to help fight this crazy virus is nothing short of heroic. I’m sure they would say 'I’m just doing my job', but to us it’s more than that. These selfless individuals are not only putting themselves at risk, but are also dealing with the same stresses that come along with these circumstances when they go home. We want them to know we are thinking of them & supporting them."

The 32-year-old is in his sixth year with the Canadiens after beginning his career with the Edmonton Oilers.

While the NHL season has been on hiatus to help slow the spread of the disease, multiple hockey players have taken it upon themselves to help their communities.

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist donated $100,000 to a New York City food bank.

According to CNN.com, there have been about 680,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide as of Sunday with about 125,000 in the United States and more than 5,000 cases in Canada.

The Montreal Canadiens announced Tuesday they will lay off 60 percent of personnel in a "temporary reduction" that will take effect March 30.

The NHL season has been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Groupe CH, which owns the team, has established a $6 million assistance fund for the affected employees to earn 80 percent of their base salary for a period of eight weeks.

Groupe CH owner, president and CEO Geoff Molson discussed the move in a statement:

"Now more than ever, it is important to support our community and demonstrate our solidarity to one another. We are working extremely hard to limit the impact this situation will have on our employees. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our employees for their understanding and patience. During difficult times like these, our commitment to one another will help us rebound faster."

The New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers announced Monday they would be reducing the salaries of full-time employees by 20 percent, per Marc Stein of the New York Times. However, the ownership group decided to change course after public pressure, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The remaining NHL teams will try to stay afloat with plenty of uncertainty around when the league will return to action.

As of Tuesday, COVID-19 has been confirmed in more than 372,000 cases worldwide, leading to over 16,000 deaths, per the World Health Organization.

Hockey Hall of Fame center Henri Richard, who won an NHL-record 11 Stanley Cup titles with the Montreal Canadiens, died Friday at the age of 84.

The Canadiens, with whom Richard played his entire 20-year career from 1955 through 1975, announced the news.

"Henri Richard was one of the true giants of the game," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "The entire National Hockey League family mourns the passing of this incomparable winner, leader, gentleman and ambassador for our sport and the Montreal Canadiens."

Richard recorded 1,046 points (358 goals and 688 assists) in 1,258 regular-season games. He added 129 points (49 goals and 80 assists) in 180 playoff appearances for the Habs.

His list of accolades includes nine All-Star Game selections and the 1974 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, the NHL's annual award for the player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication" to the sport.

The Montreal native was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979 and was named one of the 100 greatest players in NHL history as part of the league's centennial celebrations in 2017.

Richard was the younger brother of fellow Canadiens legend Maurice "Rocket" Richard.

The brothers helped lead the Habs to five straight championships from 1956 through 1960.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber may return from his ankle injury as soon as Tuesday, according to coach Claude Julien.

"It'll be up to him," Julien said Monday, per Eric Engels of SportsNet.

Weber has not played since Feb. 4, and the Canadiens announced just five days ago that he would miss the next four-to-six weeks. With Montreal floundering and in danger of missing a playoff spot, it appears Weber is going to try to gut through the pain and return earlier than expected.

Weber said he's been told he cannot do any more damage to the ankle, so this will be more of a pain-management situation. The four-to-six-week timetable was initially greeted with relief considering many thought Weber would be out even longer. 

"I heard the same rumors as everybody else, that this was very serious," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said Saturday. "I think what really happened was Weber is very private and the Canadiens are generally very private and they just felt that they weren't going to give an update until they knew [they] were very sure and they didn’t know for sure until eight days after."

The 34-year-old is producing a solid 2019-20 campaign, posting 13 goals and 21 assists from the back line. The ankle injury came after it seemed like Weber would be getting through a full season healthy for the first time since 2016-17. He was limited to 26 games in 2017-18 and 58 last season.

The Canadiens are currently nine points out of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with 21 games remaining. They've dropped four of their last six games with Weber out of the lineup.

While it's possible Weber can play through the pain, it's another question entirely about whether he can play effectively. A sprained ankle will cause pain any time he tries to shift his momentum, and while speed skating isn't a huge priority for the veteran, him even being a half-tick slower can be the difference between a stop and an open shot for an opponent. 

The 2019 NHL Awards provided a touching moment as Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price surprised a young fan with a special appearance. 

Presenter Camille Kostek brought a young fan named Anderson Whitehead onto the stage in the middle of the show. While it started out with Kostek revealing that a $100,000 donation was being made to the "Hockey Fights Cancer" effort, Price sent Whitehead a video message that wound up turning into so much more:

Not only did Price shock Whitehead by coming onto the stage, but he also provided him with a jersey and a trip to the 2020 NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis, Missouri.

As Kostek noted, Price's appearance served as a reunion. He and Whitehead previously met back in February after the fan's mother, Laura McKay, died of cancer at the age of 44 in November.

According to Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette, it was McKay's dream for Whitehead—a Price fan—to meet the Canadiens goalie.

"It was very cool," Anderson said of his February encounter with Price, per Cowan. "It's the happiest I've ever been in my life. I always hoped it was going to happen. My mom always said it could happen."

Thanks to Price, Wednesday was another unforgettable night, and there is still more to come.

Montreal Canadiens forward Max Domi has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason for punching an unsuspecting Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers during Wednesday night's exhibition game between the teams, NHL Player Safety announced on Thursday. 

The league issued a video statement on the ruling:

Domi attempted to get Ekblad to drop the gloves by grabbing the defender's sweater and delivering a couple of left-handed blows. When Ekblad refrained from fighting, though, Domi didn't move on—he instead dropped his right glove and delivered a punch to the blueliner's face.

According to The Athletic's Arpon Basu, Ekblad—who has a history of concussions—was removed from the game to be evaluated for a concussion. He cleared concussion protocol.

That move did not sit well with the Panthers.

"I'm sure the league will look at it, and we definitely won't forget about it," Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "You don't do that. You respect your opponents, and if your opponent doesn't want to engage in a fight, there's no reason to drop your glove and punch him square in the face. Bit of a gutless play. You don't do those types of things." 

Luongo was not alone in his anger, either.

"It was a punk move by him," Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle said, per Basu. "I know Max, he plays the game hard, but that's just something. ... He said he asked him to go and Ek in the video had no interest in fighting. It's a preseason game, it's our first game trying to get familiar with each other. Even in the regular season, a play like that's not good for anyone."

Meanwhile, at least one Montreal player defended Domi.

"The two were arguing with one another," Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin said, per the AP (via ESPN.com). "I saw a pretty big slash from Ekblad on Max, and Max just took matters into his own hands. It's also Ekblad's fault for not protecting himself."

The league agreed with the Panthers, issuing a ban for the rest of the preseason. The suspension does not carry over into the regular season.

Montreal acquired Domi from the Arizona Coyotes in June for Alex Galchenyuk, later signing him to a two-year deal. Domi, 23, tallied nine goals and 36 assists for 45 points in Arizona last season, racking up a career-high 73 penalty minutes.

The Montreal Canadiens announced Thursday that defenseman Shea Weber is expected to be out of action for at least five months after having arthroscopic knee surgery for a meniscal tear in his right knee.

Weber, who is also recovering from left-foot surgery in March, was due to undergo a small procedure, but his knee required more attention.

"During the procedure, it was determined that the damage to his knee was more serious than previously anticipated and the situation required a more comprehensive procedure to repair a meniscal tear," team physician Dr. David Mulder noted. "It is important to mention that this procedure could not have been performed earlier due to his recovery to his previous foot surgery."

General manager Marc Bergevin addressed the situation: "We were very disappointed to learn that this knee injury will extend Shea's recovery period. Unfortunately, this is out of our control, and we have to fully trust the medical group in these situations. We are confident that his recovery will go as scheduled and that Shea will return to action as soon as possible."

Weber, 32, appeared in just 26 games for the Canadiens in the 2017-18 season, with his foot injury cutting his campaign short. He registered six goals, 10 assists and a minus-8 plus/minus.

It was a disappointing season for the four-time All-Star, who was acquired in the trade that sent superstar blueliner P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators in 2016. Weber was expected to headline Montreal's blue line in Subban's stead, but injuries got in the way this past season.

While Subban led the Predators to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017 and back to the postseason this year, the Canadiens failed to reach the playoffs during the 2017-18 campaign.

The concern for Montreal will be whether Weber can return to top form after an injury-laden year.

Montreal Canadiens center Phillip Danault exited the ice on a stretcher Saturday night against the Boston Bruins after he took a Zdeno Chara slap shot to the head.

The incident occurred with 1:37 remaining in the second period when Chara fired a 76.5 mph shot from the blue line, per CBC (h/t ESPN.com).

According to the Associated Press, Danault "was moving and speaking to medical staff before he left the ice" at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

The Canadiens later released a statement and confirmed Danault was moving and awake when he was transported to the hospital with a head injury that will require additional testing.

Danault, 24, was selected in the first round of the 2011 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks and made his NHL debut in 2014.

However, Danault's tenure in the Windy City was cut short in 2016 when the Blackhawks shipped him to Montreal ahead of the trade deadline.

Through 42 games this season entering Saturday night, Danault had registered seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points. The only Canadiens players with more points to date are Brendan Gallagher, Alex Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty.

The Montreal Canadiens announced Sunday they signed goaltender Carey Price to an eight-year contract extension that will run through the 2025-26 season.

Price was entering the final year of his deal with Montreal, which will pay him $7 million. TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie reported Price's salary will increase to $10.5 million annually under his extension.

ESPN.com noted Price will be paid $2 million more than Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, making him the highest-paid goalie in the NHL. The report also stated the average value of the deal matches the contracts of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks as the highest in the league.

Price appeared in 62 games last season, averaging 2.23 goals against. He finished third in the Vezina Trophy voting, behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Braden Holtby.

Getting Price's contract taken care of now helps the Canadiens avoid a major headache, since he was almost certainly going to be the best goaltender on the free-agent market this time next summer.

Should the 29-year-old netminder see out the length of his deal with the team, he'll likely own almost every major goaltending category in franchise history. According to Hockey Reference, Price is second all-time in saves (13,855), and he needs only 28 more to catch Patrick Roy. He's also tied for first in save percentage (.920), third in wins (270) and sixth in goals-against average (2.40).