Marc Bergevin was fired as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, and Jeff Gorton was hired as executive vice president of hockey operations.
“A process to recruit, as soon as possible, the team’s next general manager is under way,” the Canadiens said in a statement. “While the next general manager will bring significant hockey expertise to the organization, an additional criterion of that person’s role will be to communicate with fans in both French and English.”
The Canadiens hired Gorton, the former GM of the New York Rangers, “to assure the continuity of the day-to-day hockey operations during this process,” the statement said.
Assistant GM Trevor Timmins and senior vice president for public affairs and communications Paul Wilson also were fired Sunday. Assistant GM Scott Mellanby resigned Saturday.
Montreal (6-15-2) is seventh in the eight-team Atlantic Division and 29th in the NHL standings after reaching the Stanley Cup Final last season and losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
“On behalf of myself and the organization, I wish to thank Marc Bergevin, Trevor Timmins and Paul Wilson for their passion and engagement towards our club over the last years,” owner Geoff Molson said in a statement. “Their relentless work allowed our fans to experience many memorable moments, including last summer’s playoff run that culminated with the Stanley Cup Final. We wish them all the success they deserve in the pursuit of their careers.
“I think, however, that the time has come for a leadership change within our hockey operations department that will bring a new vision and should allow our fans and partners to continue cheering for a championship team.”
Molson will hold a press conference at the Canadiens practice facility in Brossard, Quebec, at 11 a.m. ET on Monday.
Bergevin thanked Molson, his co-workers, the fans and the media in a statement.
“Despite the fact that this journey is coming to an end, I am proud of the legacy I’m leaving within the organization,” Bergevin said. “The current team is much better than the results show, and I am convinced that my successors will be able to rise to the challenge.”
The Canadiens hired Bergevin on May 2, 2012, and went 344-265-81 during his tenure, making the Stanley Cup Playoffs six times in his nine full seasons.
They haven’t had two of their best players this season in addition to significant roster changes.
Carey Price, voted the winner of both the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player and the Vezina Trophy as the League’s best goalie in 2014-15, has voluntarily taken part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. Shea Weber, the Canadiens captain and a three-time finalist in the voting for the Norris Trophy, which goes to the League’s best defenseman, is dealing with multiple injuries.
Forwards Phillip Danault, Corey Perry, Eric Staal and Tomas Tatar departed in free agency along with defensemen Erik Gustafsson and Jon Merrill. Montreal signed forwards Mike Hoffman, Mathieu Perreault and Cedric Paquette, and defensemen David Savard and Chris Wideman.
The Rangers fired Gorton on May 5. They went 220-181-49 in six seasons under him.
After making the playoffs in Gorton’s first two seasons, they announced they were going into a rebuild and missed the playoffs the next two seasons. New York was among the 24 teams to play in the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers as part of the NHL Return to Play Plan and was eliminated in three games by the Carolina Hurricanes in the best-of-5 series. The Rangers did not make the playoffs last season.
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