Canadiens GM Hughes thrilled to start building winning franchise in his hometown

The former sports agent signed a five-year deal to team up with executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and become the 18th GM in Habs history.

On a stage laid out directly onto the Bell Centre ice, the Montreal Canadiens introduced newly hired general manager Kent Hughes on Wednesday afternoon.

The Beaconsfield, Que. native signed a five-year deal to team up with executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and become the 18th GM in Habs history. The former sports agent is leaving behind his firm Quartexx Management, which he joined in 2016, in help end the struggles of his hometown hockey team and build a winner.

“In the past, Jeff and I spoke about the possibility of joining the New York Rangers but those discussions didn’t last very long,” said Hughes, referring to Gorton’s past role as GM of the Broadway Blueshirts. “I still had work to do in the sports agent world but this time it was Montreal. It’s the city I grew up in and it’s the most decorated franchise in hockey history.”

Hughes credits friend and current Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin for speaking with him as he mulled over the possibility of being Montreal’s next GM.

“He called me to discuss the decision and told me: `Kent, there’s the New York Yankees, there’s the Dallas Cowboys and there’s the Montreal Canadiens. You have no decision to make,”’ Hughes said.

Both Gorton and Hughes lived in Boston for extended periods of time. Gorton, a Massachusetts native, rose through the ranks in the Bruins front office. After studying in the United States, Hughes stayed in Beantown to further his agent career. They were introduced to each other when negotiating Patrice Bergeron’s entry-level contract with the Bruins.

However, Gorton was steadfast in saying that the Canadiens didn’t choose Hughes because of their relationship.

“No offence but Kent is not my best friend,” Gorton said. “I just admired him as a hockey person.”