Former Canadiens Player Is Still A Hab At Heart

"Josh Gorges had to take the path less travelled to get to the NHL. He went undrafted and worked tirelessly to get an opportunity as a free agent signing, which he obtained with the San Jose Sharks organization. During the 2004-05 lockout, he played with their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Barons, and made his NHL debut in 2005-06, skating in 49 games with the big club."

"The following year, after playing 47 games with the Sharks, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens, along with a first-round pick in the 2007 draft (which would become Max Pacioretty), for Craig Rivet and a 2008 fifth-round pick. It was in Montreal that he became a regular NHL player and a significant cog in the team's defense. He was never a big points producer, but he was an effective defensive blueliner, an expert shot-blocker, and the kind of player who doesn't think twice about sacrificing his body for the team."

"Gorges, who went back home to British Columbia after playing four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, had been coaching his sons in minor hockey and served as an assistant coach with the West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL for five years. He was recently appointed as an assistant coach with his hometown Kelowna Rockets in the WHL, and gave The Gazette's Stu Cowan a phone interview following his nomination."

Josh Gorges went undrafted and earned an NHL opportunity as a San Jose Sharks free-agent signing, playing for their AHL affiliate during the 2004-05 lockout and debuting in 2005-06. He skated in 49 NHL games in his debut season and was traded to the Montreal Canadiens after 47 games with the Sharks, alongside a first-round pick that became Max Pacioretty. In Montreal he became a regular, defensive-minded leader known for shot-blocking and sacrificing his body. He housed rookie Brendan Gallagher early in Gallagher's career. After four seasons with Buffalo, he returned to British Columbia to coach youth and serve as an assistant in the BCHL, then joined the Kelowna Rockets as an assistant coach.

Read at Yahoo Sports