Canadiens name Bergevin GM

The Montreal Canadiens' exhaustive search for a general manager has ended with Marc Bergevin.

The former defenseman was announced Wednesday as the 17th general manager in Canadiens history. Bergevin, will leave his post as an assistant to Chicago Blackhawks' GM Stan Bowman.

In Montreal, the 46-year-old replaces Pierre Gauthier, who was fired March 29 after a two-year run that ended with a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference with a 31-35-16 record.

Drafted in 1983 by Chicago, Bergevin played 1,191 games in 20 seasons with eight teams. He joined the Blackhawks scouting staff in 2005, eventually rising up to assistant GM after Kevin Cheveldayoff left to become GM of the Winnipeg Jets in the summer of 2011.