The CHL is currently unveiling its list of the top 50 players of the last 50 years, and one former Montreal Canadiens captain has made it to 36th place on the countdown: Shea Weber. In three complete seasons with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL, the hulking defenseman won two league championships and one Memorial Cup. In his last two seasons, he was named to both the WHL and the CHL All-Star Teams and ended his junior career by winning the 2005 playoffs MVP title, thanks to his nine goals from the blueline.
A second-round draft pick of the Nashville Predators at the 2003 draft, the 49th overall pick spent 11 seasons with the Tennessee outfit before being traded to the Canadiens in the much-talked-about trade for fellow blueliner P.K. Subban. The polarizing deal didn’t please everyone, but Weber eventually won most fans over with his physical play and booming shot.
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As soon as captain Max Pacioretty was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Habs’ brass gave Weber the C. Even though he only spent five seasons with the Canadiens, three of which as a captain, Weber was a game-changer in the Habs’ culture. A true professional, he was a fantastic example for the next generation of Habs players like Nick Suzuki.
The Canadiens made the playoffs in three of his five years with the Canadiens, reaching the Stanley Cup final in his final season, bowing out in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. That 2020-2021 Canadiens team didn’t really belong in the Cup final, but it was a tight-knit group that gave its all, inspired by a couple of veterans who were appearing in their final Stanley Cup playoffs, Carey Price and Shea Weber. The rugged blueliner would never play another game in the NHL as his career was cut short by injuries.
In his 275 games with the Canadiens, he put up 146 points, including 58 goals in the regular season and 14 points in 38 playoff games in the Habs’ three appearances. After his retirement and following his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Weber was added to the Canadiens’ ring of honor in November 2024.
Even though Weber didn’t play a single game under the new Canadiens administration, he still had an important impact. Kent Hughes recently revealed in an interview on The Sick Podcast that Weber had taken it upon himself to tell him that he had a true captain in Nick Suzuki.
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