In support of the captain

SAINTE-JULIE - It was a hot, muggy day on the links on Tuesday, but that didn't stop a caravan of current and former Canadiens from turning up to the Club de golf La Vallée du Richelieu in support of captain Max Pacioretty and the third edition of his Captain's Tournament.

The golf tournament is a keystone event marking Pacioretty's involvement in the community, and he was thrilled to have so many members of his team take the time to join him in giving back.
"Half of the proceeds are] going to go to towards the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation, which everyone knows. It's helping grow the game of hockey in the area for underprivileged kids. And then my Foundation, it's been around, I think, seven years now. We're really excited that in the fall our wing [at the Traumatic Brain Injury Centre] is going to be opening with an MRI machine that we helped fund for brain trauma," explained Pacioretty. "It's one of a few in the world. The Montreal General Hospital is going to be a place where people can go for brain scans, and our MRI machine is going to be able to tell a lot about those injuries and brain function in-depth."
*[RELATED: [Pacioretty's philanthropy coming to fruition]*
The list of current Habs who made their way to Sainte-Julie is a long one, starting with owner and president Geoff Molson, general manager Marc Bergevin, head coach Claude Julien and his staff - Kirk Muller, Dominique Ducharme, Luke Richardson, and Stephane Waite - and players Jonathan Drouin, Jeff Petry, Phillip Danault, Paul Byron, Charles Hudon, Nicolas Deslauriers, and Xavier Ouellet.

The large turnout might have had something to do with the uncertainty surrounding Pacioretty as he enters a contract year - the captain is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July - and the players wanted to show that, despite having an off-year last season, the five-time 30-goal scorer has the full backing of his squad.
"We all love Max and what he brings to the organization. He's one of the best captains I've ever had," praised Deslauriers, who joined the Canadiens via trade last October. "I came here and Max welcomed me with open arms and accepted me onto the team really quickly. I've bonded well with him"
Drouin, who has been skating with Pacioretty this summer, knows what his teammate is going through after experiencing some uncertainty over his own situation back when he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he feels his captain has dealt with the ordeal as best he could.
"I think he's handled it pretty well so far," said Drouin, who drew from his own experience and chose not to ask Pacioretty too many questions on the subject. "Sometimes, it's nice to just not hear anyone, talk about what's going on in life and other things. He looks like he's had a good mind, and a good summer as well."

For his part, Hudon is nothing but appreciative of Pacioretty's presence in the room, and wanted to return the focus to the reason all those many Habs had gathered on the green: raising money for the kids.
"Max is a man who's been with the Montreal Canadiens for a long time, who's worn the 'C' for a few years. I'm sure he's happy we're here with him," outlined the Alma native. "It's just too bad that we come to a tournament to raise money for children and there's an atmosphere like that. But we're going to put the smiles back on people's faces, because today, we're here for the kids, and we're not here to talk about that stuff."

That said, and true to Drouin's word, Pacioretty didn't seem like someone who was overly affected by all the attention he's been getting as a result of his contractual status, and reaffirmed his love for Montreal for the umpteenth time.
"Tons of people around the League are faced with this situation on a yearly basis," he shared. "It's just mine is so magnified because of where we are and who I am.
"I have no control over that situation. But at the end of the day, you guys know how I feel about living here. I live here 12 months out of the year. My kids start school tomorrow, and we're really excited about that."
And with that, Pacioretty headed out to tee off and enjoy a day of golf with friends, teammates, and supporters for a good cause, all the while reflecting on the love and support he's gotten from his growing family.
"We're very happy. There's going to be a lot of testosterone in the house," Pacioretty cracked, referring to the fact that his wife, Katia, is pregnant with the couple's fourth son. "We'll see how she feels, if she really wants to try and have a baby girl. But we're very happy with the way our family is and is turning out."