The saga surrounding Shea Weber continued yesterday during the team review. The captain of the Canadian did not address the media, but he confirmed his presence at the funeral of Guy Lafleur.
• Read also: The CH takes stock of its season
• Read also: A possible end for Carey Price
• Read also: Rest for Suzuki and Caufield
• Read also: CH report: Gallagher still believes in it
Over the past few days, the defender’s silence and absence from Guy Lafleur’s tribute have provoked several reactions within the journalistic brotherhood. Its general manager Kent Hughes came to the defense of Weber in a way.
“We know that Shea has received a lot of criticism about his absence,” Hughes said when asked about his captain. On the other hand, Jeff Gorton and I also missed the tribute to Guy Lafleur because we were in Germany (under 18 tournament).
“Shea’s situation is complex. There are several technical aspects, particularly in terms of insurance. We don’t have the freedom to talk about it.”
From the beginning to the end of the season, Weber was conspicuous by his absence from the entourage of the team. He met his teammates when they were on the West Coast.
He notably attended an NFL game with a few teammates during the team’s visit to Seattle.
Weber did not address the media yesterday even though he showed up at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard for medical tests. It is not a surprise. No one fell out of their chair.
He has therefore not given an interview to Montreal journalists since July 7, the last game of the Stanley Cup final in Tampa Bay.
Kent Hughes tried to explain why Weber doesn’t want to address the media.
“He is not comfortable answering questions. He’s afraid to say too much about what’s going on with his situation, Hughes mentioned. He doesn’t want to be placed in that context.
“I respect his decision. I want to make it clear that this is not a lack of respect towards the supporters and the media.
Hughes has however confirmed that his captain will be present for the national funeral of Guy Lafleur which will take place during the next three days. On the other hand, he did not specify whether the organization had made a request to him to this effect.
It’s logic. Last I heard, even though he didn’t play a single game in the 2021-2022 season, Weber is still the Habs captain. Another absence on his part would have been an affront to the organization of the Canadian and its supporters.
“At the start, his presence was a surprise for Pierre Gervais, said Hughes. We wanted the first and last captain of Pierre’s years to be present at his last game.
“Then he decided to extend his stay to attend Lafleur’s funeral.”