Report: Canadiens to name Marc Bergevin as new general manager

MONTREAL --The Montreal Canadiens will name Marc Bergevin as their new general manager.

Bergevin, who served as an assistant GM in Chicago in 2011-12 after having previously worked for the Blackhawks as a scout, succeeds Pierre Gauthier, who was fired late in the season.

The Chicago Tribune first reported Bergevin's hiring at around 2:15 a.m. EDT.

The former NHL defenseman was a popular player, known as a world-class prankster. Whenever he checked into a hotel, he would use the alias Denis Lemieux, the name of the goalie in the film Slap Shot.

He is the second Chicago assistant GM to leave the organization in the past year. Kevin Cheveldayoff left to run the Winnipeg Jets.

TV analyst Pierre McGuire and Tampa Bay assistant GM Julien BriseBois were others on the Canadiens' short list of candidates.