MARC BERGEVIN

The 51-year-old Montreal native replaces Marc Bergevin, who was fired Nov. 28 following the Canadiens' poor start. Before joining the Canadiens as their 18th GM, Hughes represented more than 20 players under NHL contracts. “We are very excited to add Kent Hughes to our organization. Kent is highly respected in the hockey world, having built an excellent reputation as an NHL player agent for over 25 years now,” Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said in a statement. ___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

The Montreal Canadiens have hired player agent Kent Hughes as their general manager, hoping he can turn around a team with the worst record in the NHL.

Canadiens Price Hockey FILE - Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price speaks to reporters during an end of season news conference in Brossard, Quebec, in this Monday, April 9, 2018, file photo. The league and players' union said the 34-year-old Price will be away from the team while he takes part in the program. The union did not specify why he entered the program, but Price's wife, Angela, cited mental health as a reason in an Instagram post showing Price and their three children. “No matter what is on the line, we hope we can communicate the importance of putting your mental health first not just by saying it, but by showing up and doing the work to get better. The jointly funded group assists players and their families with mental health, substance abuse and other matters.

Canadiens goaltender Carey Price has voluntarily entered the NHL/NHL Players’ Association joint player assistance program.

(Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP) (Paul Chiasson)Montreal Canadiens forward Joel Armia has been placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and won’t travel with the team to Tampa Bay on Sunday, a day before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. General manager Marc Bergevin made the announcement after Armia was not at practice in Montreal before the Canadiens traveled to play the Lightning. It’s unclear how long Armia will be in the protocol or whether he tested positive. The Canadiens are without interim coach Dominique Ducharme, who remains in isolation since testing positive for COVID on June 18. Ducharme missed the final four games of Montreal’s six-game semifinal series win over Vegas.

Montreal Canadiens forward Joel Armia has been placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.

The Montreal Canadiens have finally earned respect during a remarkable playoff run that has them in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 28 years.

FILE - Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien, center, looks on from the bench during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Boston, in this, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, file photo. The struggling Montreal Canadiens fired head coach Claude Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, following a three-game skid. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)MONTREAL, QUE – The struggling Montreal Canadiens fired head coach Claude Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller on Wednesday following a three-game skid. Assistant coach Dominique Ducharme was appointed interim coach, and Alex Burrows was added to the Canadiens’ coaching staff. Ducharme joined the Canadiens' coaching staff in April 2018 after 10 seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

In a unique situation like this, youre going from not playing to playing playoff-style hockey, so youve got to embrace the grind mentally, physically.This is a different kind of grind after four-plus months off the ice. Eddie Olczyk won and lost one best-of-five series early in his playing career with Chicago and remembers the nerves of being 18 and 19 years old in those moments. Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour understands that urgency despite being drafted two years after the NHL moved to all best-of-seven series. His Hurricanes face the Rangers, whose president, John Davidson, won the only two best-of-five series he played in with New York. In a short series, Quenneville said, anything can happen.___AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow contributed to this report.