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“The last few years with COVID haven’t been easy for anybody,” Petrie says of asking to be traded by the Canadiens for family reasons.
Article author:
Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette
Publication date:
July 17, 2022 • 12 hours ago • 4 minutes read • 8 comments “There were a lot of great things (in Montreal) that we really enjoyed. But it’s nice now that it’s all in the past and we’re closer to home and we can all be together again,” says Jeff Petrie. Photo by John Mahoney/Montreal Gazette files
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“From the first day I’ve been here, it’s been a special place and it’s a privilege to pull on this uniform with so much history. I have learned this in my four and a half years so far how proud I am to wear this uniform every day.
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That’s what Jeff Petry said less than two years ago, in September 2020, when he signed a four-year, $25 million contract extension to stay with the Canadiens.
Petrie could have become an unrestricted free agent after the 2020-21 season, but instead chose to stay in Montreal long-term.
Petrie also passed on free agency and the option to leave Montreal when he signed his previous contract, a six-year, $33 million deal, after the 2014-15 season. It was his first season with the Canadiens after being acquired by the Edmonton Oilers just before the NHL trade deadline that year.
“My family, my wife and I have made a decision that we really, really want to come back (to Montreal) and we’re happy that the deal can be done pretty quickly,” Petrie said after signing the first contract with the Canadiens.
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The Petrie family seemed to really love Montreal — until COVID-19 hit and everything changed. Petrie’s wife, Julie, was upset by the COVID-19 restrictions in Quebec last season and decided to leave Montreal and move to the family home in Michigan with their three sons while also pregnant with a fourth boy, who was born last Monday .
That left Petrie alone in Montreal on a Canadiens team that really struggled under head coach Dominic Ducharme’s system — one that the defenseman wasn’t a fan of, and was vocal about it. Petrie’s game suffered, and although he missed his family, he asked to be dealt.
On Saturday, Petrie finally got his wish when Canadiens GM Kent Hughes traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with forward Ryan Pauling, in exchange for defenseman Mike Matheson and a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
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Petrie was playing in the basement of his Michigan home with two of his sons Saturday afternoon and had left his phone in another room. When he went to get his phone, he saw that there was a missed call from Canadiens GM Kent Hughes. As Petrie was about to call Hughes back, his agent, Don Meehan, called to tell him about the deal, which had not yet been officially announced.
“So I went up and told my wife and the kids,” Petrie said during a video conference Sunday afternoon. “Everyone was extremely happy and delighted to join the Penguins. … Pittsburgh is just over a four-hour drive from my house in Michigan, so that’s nice. To be able to just jump in the car for my wife on a Friday night and be home at a reasonable hour. So that’s nice, being able to go back and forth.
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“The last few years with COVID have not been easy for anyone,” Petrie added. “But I live in Canada, far away from my family and my wife’s family from Houston – so even further away from them. It was very difficult for them to come up and help with the boys and come see us. It had its negative effects. But at the same time, there were a lot of great things (about Montreal) that we really liked. But now it’s good that it’s all in the past and we’re closer to home and we can all be together again.”
Poehling, selected by the Canadiens in the first round (25th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, is happy to go to Pittsburgh with Petry.
“Petey is the best,” Poehling said during a video conference Sunday afternoon. “He was one of my close friends (from the Canadiens). We were a couple of the only American guys in Montreal. So it was easy to date him. His family did a great job as a young man for me by bringing me. I went there for dinners. Date him, his kids, his family. So when we found out, I FaceTimed him and he and his whole family answered and had a big smile on their face. I’m glad he’s coming there with me and I’m going there with him because he’s a great guy and he’s a great player as well, so I’m excited about that.”
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Poehling joins a long list of back-to-back first-round draft picks that didn’t pan out with the Canadiens for various reasons. This list, spanning 10 years, includes Louis LeBlanc (2009), Jared Tinordi (2010), Nathan Beaulieu (2011), Alex Galchenyuk (2012), Mike McCarron (2013), Nikita Scherbak (2014), Noah Juulsen (2015), Mihail Sergachev (2016), Pöling (2017) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (2018).
“I’m excited to be a part of the Pittsburgh family,” Pauling said. “They have a great organization and I think I will fit in well. I am excited. I feel like there’s a lot of new energy. A fresh start for me and I’m looking to improve my game as much as possible in Pittsburgh.”
scowan@postmedia.com
twitter.com/StuCowan1
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Stu Cowan: A homecoming for the newest Canadian, Mike Matheson
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Canadiens traded Jeff Petry, Ryan Pauling to Pittsburgh Penguins
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