Habs players say a final goodbye to Ben Chiarot

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Jeff Drouin
March 16, 2022 (9:56)

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Last night, after the loss to the Arizona Coyotes, live from the Bell Centre, there was a lot of emotion during the players' media availability, as they took the opportunity to say a final goodbye to their friend and teammate Ben Chiarot.

Ben has not yet been officially traded, but it is a matter of hours and days in his case. Kent Hughes has confirmed that he will trade him, and on top of that, he was scratched from the lineup yesterday to avoid an injury that could have potentially jeopardized a trade involving him. Barring a huge turn of events, he played his last game in Montreal.

See some of the comments, collected and transcribed by TVA Sports :

"In the three seasons he's played here, fans have come to appreciate what he's done for our group. He's such a tough guy to play against. He's a guy we used to turn to so much on our defensive brigade. I don't want to assume he's already gone, but I really enjoyed being his teammate. I'm going to miss him." - Brendan Gallagher

"It's always tough to lose a guy like him. He's still here, but we know the circumstances well. We've been teammates for a few years. We played some good hockey together. It's sad, but hey...it's part of life (as a hockey player)." - Paul Byron

And there were several other such messages, but these were the most striking. Recall that before yesterday's game, Martin St-Louis publicly confirmed in a press conference that the decision to remove Chiarot from the lineup was made by upper management, to avoid injury.