The Montreal Canadiens have announced changes within the organization’s hockey operations department. Marc Bergevin, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Trevor Timmins, Assistant General Manager, as well as Paul Wilson, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, have been relieved of their respective functions, effective immediately.
Related: Big Changes Coming in Montreal: Bergevin, Gorton, Mellanby…
The Canadiens have noted on the team’s official website that a “process to recruit, as soon as possible, the team’s next General Manager is under way.” They add that the next General Manager will bring significant hockey expertise to the organization, an additional criterion of that person’s role will be to communicate with fans in both French and English.”
As was rumored on Saturday, former New York Rangers GM Jeff Gorton has been brought in as the new Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and will oversee the day-to-day hockey operations during this process of finding new executives.
Geoff Molson said of the releases:
“On behalf of myself and the organization, I wish to thank Marc Bergevin, Trevor Timmins, and Paul Wilson for their passion and engagement towards our Club over the last years. Their relentless work allowed our fans to experience many memorable moments, including last summer’s playoff run that culminated with the Stanley Cup Final. We wish them all the success they deserve in the pursuit of their careers.”
Molson added that it was time for a complete leadership change within the hockey operations department that will bring a new vision and should allow our fans and partners to continue cheering for a championship team.
Bergevin was in the final year of his contract and speculation was that he would be leaving anyway. He was offered an extension in July, but the two sides could not come to an agreement. The team is also rumored to be ready to make some player changes but it wasn’t logical for the person to make those changes be a GM who wouldn’t be moving forward with the team.
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