Jeff Petry and the Montreal Canadiens have parted ways on multiple occasions, with the defenceman being traded out of the organization two separate times.
That doesn’t mean the 35-year-old, now a member of the Detroit Red Wings, doesn’t keep ties with some of his former Canadiens teammates.
In fact, with the Habs in town to play the Red Wings, Petry hosted three of his buddies from behind enemy lines on Wednesday night.
An image shared to Instagram by his wife, Julie, shows Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, Brendan Gallagher, and Jake Evans seated at a table with Petry and his children.
Each member of the Habs trio played alongside the American blueliner in Montreal for multiple seasons. They also had a hand in initiating the team’s epic run during the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.
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Petry ultimately left the Canadiens via trade in 2022 when he was sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenceman Mike Matheson.
He was briefly brought back this summer, with the Habs being involved in a three-way trade that sent Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks to Pittsburgh. A few days after the surprising acquisition, though, GM Kent Hughes traded Petry to the Red Wings.
When asked about sending Petry back to his home state of Michigan, where his father, Dan, played with the Detroit Tigers for 11 seasons, Hughes said it was âthe right thing.â
âIâm a believer, in general, whether it be players or people, that you do the right thing. I called Jeff [after acquiring him from Pittsburgh] and said, âListen, I know you didnât go to bed expecting to hear from me this morning,’â Hughes explained in a press conference. âI know they, as a family, were uptight. Theyâve got four young boys and they were about to start school in two weeks.â
So far, Petry’s registered four points, all assists, with his boyhood team this season.
The offensive blueliner put up five goals and 31 points with Pittsburgh last season. Petryâs most productive offensive campaign came during the shortened 2020-2021 season, which saw him net 12 goals and 42 points over 55 games with the Habs.
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