The Montreal Canadiens shook up the NHL yesterday acquiring Patrik Laine, but in the same motion, they said goodbye to Jordan Harris.
Jordan Harris was the Montreal Canadiens' third-round pick at the 2018 draft, the 71st selection and Habs fans had to wait quite some time to see him wear the red-white-and-blue.
He knew there was more to life than hockey and elected to finish his degree before starting his professional hockey career. Many feared the Massachusetts native was letting the year go to become a free agent and sign for his boyhood dream the Boston Bruins, but he wasn't.
A little over two months after Kent Hughes was appointed as the Canadiens' general manager, he got to sign Harris to his entry-level contract. A player he knew personally, who played his NCAA hockey at Northeastern with his sons.
Over his two seasons and a bit with the Canadiens, Harris was a perfect teammate. He never complained about the rotation system on the blueline and he was philosophical about one man's success being the whole team's: "A rising tide lifts all boats" he once said, spoken like a man well beyond his years.
At the end of the 2022-2023 season, he was named the Canadiens' nominee for the King Clancy Trophy. An award given every year to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.
An important role-model for many youth players, Harris comes from a mixed race background and is of Jewish descent. In June, he was named the Sports Personality of the Year at the 20th annual Cummings Centre Foundation Sports Celebrity Breakfast. Harris has signed many autographs and taken part in a lot of minor hockey practices over his two years in town, inspiring plenty of young players.
He's also always been an ally of marginalized people and was one of the players who spoke up in support of Pride Nights when some players decided to opt out of them saying:
In Harris, the Canadiens are losing a good hockey player, but an even better human being. Hughes knew all of this full well, but he couldn't pass on the opportunity of getting a player as talented as Patrik Laine and nor should he have at that price. There's nothing left to do for the people of Montreal but say thank you Jordan Harris and best of luck in Columbus.
