The Montreal Canadiens announced that they will honour defenceman Andrei Markov during a pre-game ceremony on Dec. 3 at the Bell Centre. Markov played 990 games with the Habs during his career and will return to the arena one last time to celebrate his 16 seasons in Montreal during a game against the Winnipeg Jets. The Bleu-Blanc-Rouge is thus continuing its tradition of tribute nights honouring fan favourites such as P.K. Subban and Saku Koivu. After his stint with the CH, the 46-year-old Russian returned to Russia to play two seasons with Ak-Bars Kazan before concluding his hockey career with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in 2019-2020. Markov scored 119 goals and collected 453 assists in 990 career games with the Canadiens. He also had five goals and 27 assists in 89 playoff games. The Russian was a sixth-round pick, 162nd overall, by the Habs in the 1998 NHL Draft. Markov was invited by the CH to attend the tribute night for his former teammate, Subban, during a game against the Nashville Predators at the Bell Centre. However, he had to decline the invitation. Then, seven years after the Canadiens let him go, Markov returned to the Bell Centre for the first time on Dec. 7 as a spectator at a game between the Washington Capitals and the Habs. This time, he will enter through the front door. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 9, 2025.
