Stéphane Waite spoke about Max Pacioretty and his appointment as captain
When Max Pacioretty was named captain of the Montreal Canadiens, we all knew, or almost all of us, that this choice didn't really make sense. "Patch" has nothing of a natural captain to bring the "jet" to the right landing strip. When he was named, the fight was between him and P.K. Subban. Two guys who don't have the makings of such a role.
I also remember that at the time, Michel Villeneuve took the liberty of reporting that Michel Therrien had indicated, over a beer after a game of golf, that Pacioretty was the worst captain in Montreal Canadiens history. Therrien obviously denied this rumor, but according to one of my contacts, the former Canadiens head coach really allowed himself to throw that around.
That said, Stephane Waite, who was in the locker room when Max Pacioretty was named, spoke out about it and let's just say we weren't in the left field.
"Max Pacioretty has not been a great success as captain in Montreal. The choice was between him and P.K. Subban. It's not the ideals for the "C". We named one by default and it was not a good experience. I think we learned in Montreal from that one."
When Subban left in return for Shea Weber in 2016, Weber immediately took on an important role, as he has unique leadership running through his veins. That's Shea!
"When things were brewing in the locker room, the coaches knew it was Shea Weber."
Waite made it clear that the "C" in Shea Weber could not be given to anyone else out of respect for him. Weber is the greatest leader in a decade.
