Canadiens name Max Pacioretty new captain

Montreal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty smiles during a news conference in Brossard, Que., on Friday, Sept. 18, 2015, naming Pacioretty as the new captain of the team. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Max Pacioretty has been a captain before, but wearing the C for the Canadiens is a different beast.

He was voted captain of his high school hockey team, and remembers feeling honoured, he said.

“But this is that feeling on steroids. You can’t put it into words. It’s…” he said, trailing off, biting his trembling lip.

On Friday morning the storied team anonunced the players had voted and chose Pacioretty to be the team's 29th captain.

Brendan Gallagher, Andrei Markov, Tomas Plekanec and PK Subban will be alternate captains.

"We have a great supporting cast around me. They've made it really easy on me to be put in this situation and I have to be thankful that, with such great success the last two years, with such great teammates, they're a big reason I've been put in this situation and I'm thankful for that," he said.

Pacioretty, 26, has played his entire career with the Canadiens since making his NHL debut in 2008.

He is the third American-born player to don the 'C' for the Habs, following Chris Chelios and Brian Gionta.

He addressed the media in French for a time Friday, saying team owner Geoff Molson impressed the importance of learning the language upon him and his teammates.

Last year the Canadiens had four co-captains, but this year wanted to return to tradition and choose one single player to represent the team on the ice.

Pacioretty, a forward, has scored 144 goals in 399 games, with three 30-goal seasons.

He is currently recovering from a knee injury incurred during the summer, and hopes to be ready to play when the season begins in October.

Pacioretty is on a six-year, $27-million contract with the team that will last until the 2018-2019 season.

He was visibly emotional during his first news conference as captain, and while his teammates were ready to see the C on his chest, Pacioretty himself was somewhat still in shock while speaking to reporters. When asked how he felt about looking down at his jersey and seeing the C on it, a smile broke across his face.

"I don't want to look down because I might get too emotional," he said.