Tonight is Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final, and the Montréal Canadiens have a shot at tying their series against the New York Rangers. One player who might be instrumental in this (after, say, current Conn Smythe contenders P.K. Subban and Brendan Gallagher, Andrei Markov, shut-down center and magical passer Tomas Plekanec, and new idol in nets Dustin Tokarski) is shut-down defender Josh Gorges.
Now an alternate captain with the team, Gorges has been a staple of the Habs' penalty kill since 2009, and is now Subban's regular-shift partner as well. He averaged 21 minutes per game in the regular season and nearly 24 in the playoffs. He even saw some powerplay time, usually alongside Alexei Emelin, on the second pairing, when either Nathan Beaulieu or Francis Bouillon were scratched. It's a testament to his hard work, though, that the coach trusts him to be reliable enough to help the attack and keep the momentum going despite never scoring more than 4 goals and never reaching the 40-point mark; his passing skills have improved dramatically, though, another proof of his dedication to honing his skills.
A veritable rubber man, he takes tough hits every single game, and yet rarely misses one due to injury. He's very outspoken - always talks to the media after games, win or lose, and always talks in the dressing room between periods to help boost morale.
Here's a swatch card from his days as a rookie with the San Jose Sharks, from Upper Deck's 2006-07 Be A Player Portraits (card #FE-JG, part of the First Exposures sub-set) featuring a grey swatch from a jersey he wore in a photo shoot:
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