Former Canadiens player and McGill University graduate Mathieu Darche is the Tampa Bay Lightning’s new director of hockey operations.
Lightning vice-president and general manager Julien BriseBois made the announcement on Monday. BriseBois, who took over from Steve Yzerman as Lightning GM before the start of this season, also announced Monday that Al Murray has been named assistant GM and director of amateur scouting, while Jamie Pushor has been promoted to assistant GM and director of player personnel. Stacy Roest was also named assistant GM and director of player development and will be GM of the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Yzerman was named vice-president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings on April 19.
Darche, 42, has been living on Montreal’s South Shore and working as a director of business development for Delmar International Inc. since retiring as an NHL player following the 2011-12 season with the Canadiens. He spent four seasons playing for the McGill Redmen before making his NHL debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2000-01 season. He played in 250 career NHL games with the Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Lightning and Canadiens, posting 30-42-72 totals.
Darche graduated from McGill in 2000 with a commerce degree, majoring in marketing and international business.
Darche and his brother, Jean-Philippe, were both inducted into the McGill Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. After playing football at McGill, Jean-Philippe played one season for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and then nine seasons as a long-snapper in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. After hanging up his helmet, J.P. graduated from the University of Kansas medical school and is now a team doctor with the Chiefs.
Before joining the Lightning and spending eight seasons as assistant GM under Yzerman, BriseBois spent nine seasons with the Canadiens, starting out as director of legal affairs on Sept. 1, 2001. He later became director of hockey operations for the Canadiens and was named vice-president of hockey operations on July 24, 2006.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
