At 35 years of age, there may not be much left in the tank for veteran blueliner Stephane Quintal, but don’t tell him that. The 35-year-old Quintal, who missed the last seven games of the Habs’ postseason run due to injury and the emergence of Mike Komisarek, will not be returning to the club next season.
Quintal, who wore the jersey proudly and played to the highest level he could on nearly every night, was highly regarded by many fans as well as the organization, but as time grew on, his legs slowed to a point where GM Bob Gainey felt it was necessary to “go with younger players”.
It was obvious that “Q” brought leadership on and off the ice, as he was active in the Montreal community, and is said to have provided a steady influence inside of the locker room.
The loss of Quintal means than Mike Komisarek will assume a full time role next season (keep your fingers crossed that there is one. As well, a pair of Bulldogs, the oft-discussed Ron Hainsey and the steady, underrated Francois Beauchemin will look to zero in on some professional playing time.
In Stephane Quintal, a quality individual and devoted Montreal Canadien was let go, but for his sake hopefully there is a club with an opening for him.