Petry offers emotional goodbye to Canadiens fans, Montreal

Petry offers emotional goodbye to Canadiens fans, Montreal

Jeff Petry is bound for Pittsburgh, but he’s not leaving without a heartfelt goodbye to his home of seven full seasons. 

Petry, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday in a deal that’ll bring Mike Matheson to Montreal, took to Instagram to offer a touching thanks to the city, fans, and Canadiens organization. 

“Thank you for giving me and my family the opportunity to be part of such a storied franchise! I will forever be grateful I was able to wear that sweater with such pride, and my family was able to be a small part of an incredible franchise,” he wrote.

“All the memories made over the years will stay with us forever and the last eight seasons will always be a special part of my hockey career that shaped me into the player and teammate I am now.”

Petry has 248 points (70 goals, 178 assists) in 508 games over parts of eight seasons in Montreal, and 322 points (87 goals, 235 assists) over 803 games in the NHL between the Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers. 

The 34-year-old had 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) in 68 games in 2021-22.

“To the passionate fans of the bleu, blanc and rouge, thank you for giving your heart and soul to this organization even through its ups and downs, and making it one of the best markets to play in,” he continued.

“To all the individuals outside of the hockey world but within the Montréal community that our family got to know, thank you for making MTL a home away from home for us! From neighbours, to babysitters, to people within our kids’ schools, the restaurant community, other small business owners, and many more- thank you for making our time there that much more memorable.”

Petry finished by thanking coaches, support, equipment, and medical staff, and his teammates. 

He won’t have to wait long to see them again.

The Canadiens host the Penguins on October 17 in what could be Petry’s return to Bell Centre.