As a former general manager of the Ottawa Senators, Pierre Gauthier was well known by many of the team’s players, so his firing as Montreal’s general manager of the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday did not pass unremarked.
It’s a reminder of how tough the business of professional sports is, said Chris Phillips, who was the first Senator drafted by Gauthier in 1996.
“Inevitably it happens to everybody in the game,” said Phillips.
“Whether it’s coaches and management, and you get fired, or players who get pushed to the wayside and forced into retirement.
“Not too many guys get to go out when they want to leave the game. It’s part of the part of the business. You don’t like to see it happen, but it’s going to.”