Shea Weber is immortalized as one of hockey’s greats

MONTREAL — If you’ve ever been around Shea Weber, you know what they say: the man just has an aura about him.

In part this is due to his physical stature: 6 feet tall, weighing 230 pounds, it’s no wonder they gave him the Man Mountain.

TICKETS: Celebrate Shea Weber at the Bell Center on November 16th

But it wasn’t just his physique; Weber behaves 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 also set the tone for clubs in terms of attitude and culture.

“As soon as we brought him into our locker room, he just carried that with him. He does everything the right way, every day,” said Weber’s Brendan Gallagher, who officially became a Hab in the industry that sent PK Subban to the Nashville Predators on June 29, 2016. “Players watch it. It didn’t matter who you were. You saw the way he carried himself, the way he was a complete professional. He showed up to play, practiced hard, he was in the gym, he took care of the coaches. He just did everything right. He created a culture here that carried on, and everyone who played with him was better off for it.”

With 16 seasons of outstanding NHL hockey on his resume and Weber’s playing days now over due to injuries, the former Canadiens captain reaches a major new milestone in his storied career: induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

For those who have taken the ice with the Sicamous, BC native, the nod to hockey’s pantheon comes as no surprise.

“I was lucky enough to play with him and see what he was like in the room. It was clear that he was just a very stable guy. Does pretty much everything you need it to do,” praised Cole Caufield, who made a trip to the Stanley Cup Final with Weber in 2020-21. “Song 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 about him is true – and probably even more. He is just a very special man and person.”

If induction into the Hall of Fame is an honor reserved for a relatively few, Weber is a member of an even more exclusive club: he is one of only 31 men to have worn the C for the Canadiens. His successor in the role, Nick Suzuki, was fortunate to learn directly from Weber before taking on the captaincy himself.

“Shea was a great teammate and captain for us. He taught me a lot during my early career,” said Suzuki, who played for Weber in 2019-20 and 2020-21. “He was such a wonderful person; he really cared about everyone else, and he was a great player at the same time. He has brought so much to our group, and we couldn’t have done this without him.”

Weber was a unifying factor off the ice, but let’s not forget what he did on skates.

“He was mean, he was intense,” said 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 you knew when he was on the ice. If you go into the corner with Webs, you will pay the price. If you are at the front of the net, you will have to pay the price. He can hammer a puck. He did everything you could ask of a man, and he did that for a long time in this League. He certainly deserves to be a Hall of Famer.”