Former Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber is heading to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The 38-year-old defenceman will be inducted alongside Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick, Natalie Darwitz, Kristy Wendell-Phil, David Poile, and Colin Campbell.
Weber played parts of five seasons with the Canadiens, scoring 58 goals and 88 assists in 275 games, not to mention 14 points in 38 playoff games. He served as an alternate captain for two years before the team named him the 30th captain in franchise history.
He finished his impressive career with 1038 games played, including 224 goals and 365 assists. The British-Columbia native spent the bulk of his career with the Nashville Predators, the team that drafted him 49th overall in 2003.
Given the economic realities of the modern sports landscape, Weber is not officially retired, as his cap hit will still be in effect until 2025-26. The contract was originally traded from the Habs to the Vegas Golden Knights, who quickly sent it to the NHL’s unofficial retirement organization, the Arizona Coyotes.
Shea Weber’s Hockey Glory
The closest Weber came to a Stanley Cup was in 2021, during the Canadiens’ magical run to the Stanley Cup final. Unfortunately, both Weber and Carey Price were denied an opportunity to lift Lord Stanley’s Grail in their last opportunity to do so. On that note, for those who may have concern as to the validity of Weber’s induction, we must keep in mind the Hockey Hall of Fame is not restricted simply to NHL accolades.
The six-time All-Star won a WHL championship with the Kelowna Rockets in 2022-23, as well as gold medals for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship (2004) and the Olympics (2010, 2014). He was also named to the All-Star team following the gold medal win in 2009. And finally, he was awarded the Mark Messier leadership award in 2016-17. He did not capture a Norris trophy as the NHL’s best defenceman, but he was a finalist in three consecutive seasons (2011, 2012, 2013).
We’d like to officially extend our gratitude to Shea Weber for the hard work he put in during his time with the Canadiens, his overall impact in the NHL, as well as his success on the international stage.
