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“He did a lot of stuff with Best Buddies (a charity that creates opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities), kids with special needs and with the Children’s Hospital, things like that,” the goalie added. “He doesn’t talk about those things, but he always had a big impact in the community. It wasn’t just that he was a great player on the ice, but among the fans and the community he was a very liked person because he was involved.”

On Thursday night, Rinne was on the opposite end of the ice when the Predators faced the Canadiens in Weber’s 900th career NHL game.

Photo by John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette

“He’s obviously known for his booming shot,” Rinne said. “It’s a real danger on the power play. But when you talk about defencemen, you talk about a guy like him … I think about his all-around skill. He can bring the physical play, he has skill, he has the physical abilities, he can skate and, obviously, his size. When you have a guy like that on the blue line, other teams are going to notice that. They’re going to prepare for that matchup and it’s never going to be easy.”

A week before he was traded to the Canadiens, Weber received the NHL’s Mark Messier Leadership Award as captain of the Predators. In his first season as captain of the Canadiens, Weber has really made a mark on the team, which had a 20-10-2 record with him in the lineup heading into Thursday’s game.

“I think it’s his example … the way he carries himself,” Rinne said about Weber’s leadership skills. “I feel like he says stuff when he needs to, when it’s time for that, but he’s not always the big rah-rah guy all the time. His way to lead was by example. For a guy like me, who started playing pro hockey at the same time — even though he’s a little bit younger than me — I totally tried to follow him, look at him and the way he works, the way he just carries himself. How to be a pro. I feel like that’s the way he leads.”

The kind of guy who invites an injured teammate to stay at his house and be guarded by his two dogs.

scowan@postmedia.com

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