VAN@MTL: Quotes of the day

BROSSARD - Captain Shea Weber met the media on Tuesday morning ahead of his 1,000th career NHL game.

Weber and the Canadiens will battle the Vancouver Canucks tonight at the Bell Centre to wrap up a back-to-back set.
Here are a few highlights from his Zoom-based Q&A with reporters:
Weber was first asked to describe the significance of the milestone itself:
It's special. It's something that as a kid you dream of playing in the NHL, you think that it's going to come true, and you imagine it. Realistically, you know it's a lot tougher than people realize and it's tough to do, so just making it here is really special. Making it this long and having a career with this many games is something that I never really imagined. I dreamed about it, but it's pretty surreal.

The 35-year-old defenseman was adamant that the accomplishment wasn't a solo effort by any means:
There are tons of people. I can't say thanks enough to coaches, family, friends. There are so many people along the way. It's definitely not just a personal thing. There are strength coaches, therapists, hockey coaches, family members. Obviously my mom and dad were my biggest influence growing up. It's just a team effort.

Weber identified a few key figures who were important resources for him at the outset of his NHL career:
The first major one for me was probably Rick Berry. That was in Milwaukee. He kind of helped me really get acclimated to pro life. I had numerous dinners at his place. We lived in the same building. There's a number of guys. Greg Zanon, Kevin Klein, we came up together there, and Ryan Suter. And then there are all the guys in Nashville - Timonen, Hamhuis, all the guys before me that kind of led the way. There's a number of guys, but I think the first initial help was Rick just kind of getting me settled in and figuring out the way to go in the pros.

The Sicamous, BC native, who was drafted in the second round, 49th overall, by the Predators in 2003, was also asked to recall his NHL debut, which took place on January 6, 2006 at the then-named Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville:
That first game was kind of a blur, to be honest. We were on the road in Milwaukee and I just got called up. We were flying. I think it was from Cleveland. We were on the road somewhere and I flew right to Nashville and I got there just in time for warmups. We played Detroit. It was definitely a special moment, playing against some of those guys that Detroit had, some of the players they had. It was a pretty cool memory.
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Admittedly, Weber isn't quite sure what emotions will be going through his head when the Canadiens honor his achievement on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre:
I don't really know what to expect, to be honest. It's tough. It's a special night, but at the same time, it's our second game of a back-to-back here and we're going to have a really hungry team after last night's game, so the main focus is that, and then whether it's a little 30-second piece or whatever, it's going to definitely be meaningful, but I can't really speak on what the feeling is going to be.

When asked what has given him the most joy over the last 999 games, the 16-year NHL veteran replied:
The game itself, the love of the game. You grew up as a kid loving it. That's why you play it and that's why we still play it. That's what it's all about, just coming to the rink and being with the guys and playing the sport you love the most.

Weber discussed the impact his parents, Tracy and James, had on him and his brother, Brandon, both personally and professionally:
I think the biggest thing from them was just hard work. Neither of them took a day off. They worked hard for me and my brother to be able to play hockey. It wasn't easy, but they allowed us to do what we loved. Not only that, but they just gave us a good upbringing. I can't say enough. My dad would work all day, 10-hour shifts, come home and coach me or my brother or both. Kudos to them for taking care of us. Without them, I wouldn't be here and my brother wouldn't be where he is either.

As far as his legacy with the Canadiens is concerned, that isn't something he's focused on right now. Weber has another primary objective in mind:
I'm not thinking about leaving a lasting legacy. My job is to be a good teammate to help the Montreal Canadiens win, and then whatever comes of that, comes of that. It's definitely not a focus to look at accolades or things like that. The biggest goal for us is to win, and I think everybody that has won knows how special it is, and those of us that haven't won yet, want a taste of that. That's our goal, that's my goal, and that's what we're trying to do here.

With respect to Habs history, Weber has a great deal of respect for all 29 captains that came before him. He couldn't single out just one that he admires above the rest:
That's a tough question because there were so many great captains. You talk about looking around the room at all the pictures there and the guys that were captains. You can't just pick one. There were so many guys that did different things for this franchise in different ways. Some were here longer than others, some less, but everyone contributed and definitely helped with this franchise's history.