Former Victoria Grizzlies captain sends Montreal Canadiens to Eastern Conference Final

A former Victoria Grizzlies captain is quickly becoming one of the biggest playoff heroes in Montreal.

St. John’s, Newfoundland native Alex Newhook scored the overtime winner Monday night to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference second round series.

Newhook buried the winner at 11:22 of overtime at KeyBank Center, sending Montreal to the Eastern Conference final for the first time in several years.

“It’s a crazy feeling. A lot of emotion, obviously,” Newhook told Sportsnet following the win.

“It was a war all series long and for it to end up being Game 7 in overtime, sometimes it just takes one shot.”

The moment was a case of deja vu for Canadiens fans.

Earlier in the postseason, Newhook also scored the Game 7-winning goal in Montreal’s first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Now, the 25-year-old forward has helped push the Canadiens into a showdown with the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final, which begins Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina.

While Newhook now shines under the bright lights of Montreal, his connection to Greater Victoria runs deep.

The forward spent two standout seasons with the Victoria Grizzlies from 2017 to 2019, developing into one of the BCHL’s top stars. During the 2018-19 season, Newhook led the league with an incredible 102 points in just 53 games while serving as team captain.

His dominant campaign earned him Canadian Junior Hockey League MVP honours before he was selected 16th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft.

During his time on Vancouver Island, Newhook also attended Belmont Secondary School and graduated with the Class of 2019.

His impact on the local hockey community was cemented even further in 2023 when he returned to the Q Centre after winning the Stanley Cup with Colorado and saw his Grizzlies jersey raised to the rafters.

This season has not been without adversity for Newhook.

The Canadiens forward was limited to 42 regular season games after suffering a broken ankle in November. He returned following the NHL Olympic break and finished the season with 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points.

Now, he is once again delivering when it matters most.

According to his playoff stats, Newhook has nine points in 14 games this postseason including two Game 7 winners. Overall, he has recorded 18 points in 46 career NHL playoff games.

The Canadiens entered the NHL playoffs as the league’s youngest team with an average age of just 25.6 years old. The Chicago Blackhawks were the NHL’s youngest team overall but did not qualify for the playoffs, while the Buffalo Sabres were the third-youngest team before being eliminated by Montreal.