Shortly after Paul Byron announced his retirement with a lengthy letter to friends and family, the Montreal Canadiens tapped him with new responsibilities.
Paul Byron announced his retirement from professional hockey on Wednesday after 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). The forward dressed for 521 regular season matches with the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens.
Byron missed the entire 2022-23 season due to a hip injury that required surgery in July 2021. "I still want to play but with the injuries it's impossible for me to play and work out every day," he told the media on Friday.
The good news is that the injury does not prevent him from completing routine tasks. Last season, he helped coach his daughter's hockey team, and this year he will do the same for his son's team.
"There's days where it still hurts, but day-to-day life is pretty good. I have adapted to it. When I don't play, I feel better than when I play. I tried a couple of times to exercise and skate hard and it was hurting the next day," admitted Byron.
The Ottawa native's most dangerous weapon during his playing does was his speed, which helped him score 98 career goals. One of his most memorable goals came during the 2021 playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, when he lit the red light from his knees on a shorthanded breakaway.
"It's probably the best goal of my life," remarked Byron. "It's the goal that everyone still talks to me about. It was a COVID-year game, everyone was watching that playoff game against the Leafs. A moment like that feels like a dream."
New Role with Organization
Ten minutes after announcing the end of his playing career, the Canadiens announced that Byron had been appointed Player Development Consultant for the organization.
The 34-year old was invited to management's suite several times last season to watch the game with the Canadiens' leadership team. Discussions about a role within the organization began at the end of the season.
"He has a lot of experience, and the way that he obtained his success in the NHL is a good example for the young players," general manager Kent Hughes said following the announcement.
Byron will work with development staff members such as Adam Nicholas, Rob Ramage and Francis Bouillon, and will split time between Montreal, Laval, and the prospects. "[Francis Bouillon] and [Rob Ramage] were both defencemen, so bringing my forward experience to the table can be very beneficial coming fresh out of the game, trying to apply some of the stuff they're trying to do on the ice and bringing life experience and pro experience to some of the young players," he explained.
"It's always fun to have a player that just left because he will bring different opinions and perspectives. We will take our conversations with him seriously," coach Martin St. Louis said.
His longtime teammate Brendan Gallagher said he was not surprised to see his colleague remain with the organization in a different capacity. "I always knew [Paul Byron] would be doing something after hockey," said Gallagher. "He can help our organization. He's very smart, he understands the game. He's gone through a lot in his career and a lot of players can relate to his situation. He has a lot to add and I'm really excited for him."
Mentoring Rookies
Byron was on the ice regularly over the summer, at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, with players who arrived early to the Montreal area.
The Sabres' seventh round pick in 2007 housed Logan Mailloux for a month and found a home for David Reinbacher and Emil Heineman with his neighbors.
"When you're a player, you don't really get to know all the young guys and living with someone for a month, you start talking, you build relationships," said Byron. "We spent a lot of time the three of us in a group together. For them it's a big year, a big training camp and I wanted to offer the opportunity for them to work out, train, and skate here. We have a great development staff."
Byron shared with the trio about his experience being a first year pro and provided expectations on their training camp. "It was good," said Reinbacher. "We had a couple of nights at his place. We talked and he gave me some advice such as 'try to play your game, try to be you, don't look at your phone. Just be happy every day to come here to the rink and enjoy your day."
As training camp progresses, the newly retired Byron will be speaking with more of the organization's young players, trying to help them achieve their potential.
