MONTREAL – If you’ve ever been around Shea Weber, you know what they say is true: the man just has an aura about him.
In some part, this is due to his physical stature: six feet, four inches tall, weighing 230 pounds, it’s no wonder they refer to him as the Man Mountain.
TICKETS: Celebrate Shea Weber at the Bell Centre on Nov. 16 🎟️
But it wasn’t just his physique; Weber carries himself a certain way, treats people a certain way, and works a certain way.
That meant that as a player, Weber brought more to his teams than just goals, assists, and good defense. He set the tone for clubs when it came to attitude and culture, too.
“As soon as we brought him into our locker room, he just carried that with him. He does everything the right way, every single day,” recounted Brendan Gallagher of Weber, who officially became a Hab on June 29, 2016 in the trade that sent P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators. “Players watch that. It didn't matter who you were. You saw the way he carried himself, the way he was a complete pro. He showed up to play, practice hard, he was in the gym, he took care of the trainers. He just did everything right. He created a culture around here that has been carried forward, and everyone who played with him was better off for it.”
With 16 seasons of stellar NHL hockey on his resume, Weber’s playing days now done due to injuries, the former Canadiens captain is reaching an important new milestone in his storied career: induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
For those who got to hit the ice with the Sicamous, BC native, the nod to hockey’s pantheon comes as no surprise.
“I was very fortunate enough to play with him and just see what he was like in the room. Obviously, he was just a very steady guy. Does pretty much everything you need,” praised Cole Caufield, who took a trip to the Stanley Cup Final with Weber in 2020-21. “Vocal leader, silent leader, he just did everything that was asked [of] him, and he carried the group with him. Everything you've probably ever heard of him is true – and probably even more. He’s just a very special guy and person.”
If being in the Hall of Fame is an honor reserved for relatively few, Weber is a member of an even more exclusive club: he’s one of just 31 men to have worn the C for the Canadiens. His successor in the role, Nick Suzuki, was fortunate enough to be able to learn from Weber directly before assuming the captaincy himself.
“Shea was an amazing teammate and captain for us. He taught me a lot over my early career,” shared Suzuki, who played with Weber in 2019-20 and 2020-21. “He was such an amazing person; he really cared about everyone else, and he was an amazing player at the same time. He brought so much to our group, and we couldn't have done it without him.”
Weber was a unifier off the ice, but let’s not forget about what he did on skates, either.
“He was mean, he was intense,” outlined Gallagher of Weber, who finished with 224 goals, 589 points, a plus-79 differential, and 2,212 hits in 1,038 NHL games with the Predators and Canadiens. “He was just tough. He defended hard. He made sure that you knew when he was on the ice. If you’re going in the corner with Webs, you're going to have to pay the price. If you're going to the front of the net, you're going to have to pay the price. He can hammer a puck. He did everything you could ask a guy to do, and he did it for a long time in this League. He's very well-deserving to be a Hall of Famer, for sure.”
