MONTREAL — From his time as captain to his tenure as general manager, Bob Gainey has spent a lifetime providing leadership for the Canadiens.
Now, he’s handing the reins to a trusted colleague.
Gainey stepped aside Monday as Montreal’s general manager and was replaced by assistant Pierre Gauthier in a surprising front-office shake-up for hockey’s most storied franchise. Gainey will remain with the club as a special adviser to Gauthier, an assistant to the general manager under Gainey.
“I look forward to assisting Pierre and the team in our pursuit of our 25th Stanley Cup,” Gainey said. “I’m leaving the team I love most in the hands of the man I trust most.”
Gainey starred for the Canadiens from 1973-89 and the Hall of Famer rejoined the team as GM after the 2002-03 season. Montreal made the playoffs four out of five seasons during Gainey’s tenure.
Montreal went 241-176-46-7 in the regular season during Gainey’s tenure, including a 28-26-6 mark this season.
The Canadiens finished first overall in the Eastern Conference two years ago, the team’s first regular-season conference title since 1988-89 — Gainey’s final season on the ice. But the Canadiens haven’t advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs since winning their 24th Stanley Cup in 1993.
Stars activate Ribeiro
DALLAS — The Stars activated center Mike Ribeiro a month after he injured his throat in a game against the Rangers.
Ribeiro was accidentally struck in the throat by the stick of New York’s Christopher Higgins in the Rangers’ 5-2 victory Jan. 6. He spent several days in a New York hospital after undergoing a tracheotomy.
Defenseman Mark Fistric went on the injured list with a knee injury that will require surgery.
Footnotes.
Devils defensemen Anssi Salmela left the ice on a stretcher after taking a hard shoulder to the face from Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter. There was no immediate word on his condition, though he was later seen walking and talking.
• Kings defenseman Davis Drewiske is returning to the team’s lineup after missing 15 games with an upper-body injury. Denver Post wire services
