Josh Gorges looks to expands his role with the Montreal Canadiens
Look through the rosters of any of the National Hockey League’s 30 teams, and you will be sure to see a wide variety of players. Snipers, enforcers, role players, and veterans are some
of the labels applied to these players.
But one title that is not heard about as often is that of the unsung hero; a player who works hard, but doesn’t make the headlines as much as some of his team mates. The hockey experts
argue that every team has at least one player that best personifies this role. In the case of the Montreal Canadiens, defenceman Josh Gorges is their unsung hero.
Since joining the Canadiens on 25 February, 2007 in a trade that sent Craig Rivet to the San Jose Sharks, Gorges has stepped up his play, and has become one of the more vocal players in
the Habs’ dressing room. His hard work and leadership skills on and off the ice have earned him the praise of his team mates.
“He’s a heart and soul guy. He brings a lot to our team,” forward Mike Cammalleri said of Gorges. “He’s someone you can count on as a team mate for sure."
Gorges proved his value to the team during the Habs’ remarkable play-off run last season. He never took a shift off, and he played his hardest. The native of Kelowna, British Columbia
attributes his new-found success to Hal Gill, his defence partner for most of last season.
“You learn a lot about using your stick, how to play defence away from the puck, being in good position,” Gorges said of his development, “and I think the biggest thing is the communication
factor.”
Gill jokingly remarked that Gorges “...thinks he’s above everyone, he talks down to everyone, he thinks he’s above the game and he’s right.”
"With a shot like that, when he goes bar down, I guess he’s right.”
The 26-year-old’s most recent heroic effort was scoring the game-winning goal in a game against the Buffalo Sabres. The Habs played the roles of party crashers that night with a 2-1 win,
as the Sabres were celebrating their 40th year in the NHL. Their first-ever home game was played against the Habs as well, and Canadiens went on to win that game with a shut-out.
Gorges’ leadership skills have been noticed by others as well. Television commentator Don Cherry of
Hockey Night in Canada was once quoted as saying that the defenceman “should be (the Canadiens’) captain; if they are ever going to have a captain; this guy is the captain.”
Right-winger Brian Gionta was eventually named the team’s new captain shortly before the start of the new season, with the injured Andrei Markov and Gorges’ defence partner Gill named
as the alternate captains. However, Gorges’ leadership skills did not go unnoticed by Canadiens' head coach Jacques Martin. Martin has said that should an injury occur, Gorges would be next in line to wear an alternate captain’s ‘A’.
Gorges’ leadership abilities go as far back as the junior ranks. He served as captain of the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets, and he led them to a Memorial Cup Championship in
2004. Prior to that, Gorges was signed as an un-drafted free agent by the San Jose Sharks in 2002.
He made his big-league debut in the 2005-06 season, and remained with the Sharks until 2007, when he was traded to the Canadiens. He would later sign a three-year, $3.3 million contract
that would keep him in a red, white, and blue sweater until 2011.
With an already-full tool belt that contains many useful skills, Gorges is set to continue his hard-working pace in the 2010-11 season. Having a player like him in the line-up bodes well
for both the team, and their adoring fans.
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