Hammond had not started an NHL game since April 22, 2018, a 5-0 loss with the Colorado Avalanche against the Nashville Predators in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round. The 34-year-old was acquired by Montreal in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 12.
"If I wouldn't have been preparing for this moment over the last four years, and then I get it, I'd be living with a lot of regret," Hammond said. "That's the only way I know how to approach it. If it had never happened, it'd be what it is, but obviously I'm very happy it did.
"The old expression like everything good, you've got to wait for, I'd wait four more years to do it again. It was worth it. I'm very, very happy I got the opportunity."
Hammond got his first NHL regular-season win since April 9, 2016, when he made 39 saves for the Ottawa Senators in a 6-1 win at the Boston Bruins.
Jeff Petry and Josh Anderson scored for the Canadiens (10-33-7), who have won two straight games for the first time this season after going without a win in their previous 10. They are 2-3-0 since Martin St. Louis replaced Dominique Ducharme as coach Feb. 9.
"Fun is part of it," St. Louis said. "You need direction, you need a culture, but inside all that, fun has to be part of it. Winning brings that, but also I think as coaches, you're in the business of convincing your players why you're doing things a certain way. And once you have convinced them, it really takes off."