Cowan: Andrei Markov's comeback could serve as inspiration for Canadiens' Kirby Dach
Kirby Dach will be watching from the press box — again — when the Canadiens honour former defenceman Andrei Markov before Wednesday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell Centre
(7:30 p.m., SN, RDS).
Dach has watched far too many games from the press box since joining the Canadiens ahead of the 2022-23 season
after a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Wednesday night’s game will be the 140th Dach has missed during the last four seasons — which is more games than he has actually played with the Canadiens — 132.
The 24-year-old has had reconstructive surgery twice on his right knee — the first to repair torn ACL and MCL ligaments suffered during the second game of the 2023-24 season and the second last February to fix a torn ACL again. Dach is now sidelined with a fractured foot suffered during a game on Nov. 15, just as it looked like he was starting to find his game. After the injury, the Canadiens said Dach would be sidelined four to six weeks.
If Dach wants some inspiration as he recovers from his latest injury, he can look at Markov, who also watched a lot of games from the Bell Centre press box. Markov had three surgeries on his right knee within an 18-month period while with the Canadiens.
The first surgery to repair a torn ACL was done on May 19, 2010. A second surgery on the ACL was required on Dec. 8, 2010, after Markov had played only seven games. A year later, Markov needed arthroscopic surgery to remove debris in his knee. He was 32 at the time and had missed 139 of the Canadiens’ previous 191 regular-season games.
After the third surgery, Markov would miss only two games over the next four seasons. He finished his 16-year NHL career with 990 games played, which ranks second among Canadiens defencemen, trailing only Larry Robinson with 1,202. Markov’s 572 career points (119 goals and 453 assists) are tied for second among Canadiens defencemen with Guy Lapointe, trailing only Robinson, who had 197-686-883 totals.
Lars Eller was Markov’s teammate for six seasons, from 2010-11 until 2015-16. Eller, 36, is in his first season with Ottawa and helped the
Senators beat the Canadiens 5-2 Tuesday night
at the Bell Centre.
After Tuesday’s morning skate, Eller was asked what he remembered about Markov and his injury problems.
“I think most of the time when I was here, it was probably the hardest time for him in his career,” Eller said. “I think he ended up having three surgeries on his knee. So the first two-and-a-half years, I don’t think I played a game with him. He was just rehabbing, then he got to practise and he would get hurt again. It was probably a very rough time for him, but he showed a lot of determination and perseverance. It was a rough, long stretch for him by not playing. Rehabbing and not being able to do much. He was strong mentally and very dedicated to his work to be able to come back and still play after that.”
Son vestiaire, son ancien casier
Back at his old stall#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/IMDWdU2ZTz— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 2, 2025
Eller noted that most people thought Markov would never be the player he once was after his three knee surgeries.
But Markov played in all 48 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, posting 10-20-30 totals, and was the Canadiens’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the NHL player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game. During the 2014-15 season, at age 36, Markov posted 10-40-50 totals while playing in 81 games. It was the third most productive offensive season of his career.
Eller said the thing that impressed him most about Markov as a player was his hockey IQ and how he always seemed to be a step ahead in reading the play as a defenceman. Eller added that fans don’t understand how difficult it is for a player like Markov — or Dach — recovering from a serious injury.
Demidov 🤝 Markov#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/eeDxb91yxd
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 2, 2025
“Every day, there is a ton of hours and work in the shadows that people don’t see,” Eller said. “Especially when you’re hurt and injured, three surgeries. What players love the most, they want to be on the ice and they want to play games. That’s the joy … that’s what you work towards. And so you sacrifice all this time that no one sees to get there and, all of a sudden, the fun part is taken away from you. Maybe even at some point (Markov’s) like, ‘I don’t know? Can I maybe come back or not?’ I don’t know what he was thinking, but he was certainly determined to make it back. But I don’t know if it was a sure thing at the time that he was going to.
“It’s incredibly impressive that he was able to work his way back from that because I’m sure it was a lot of grind. It’s a lot of time alone with no certainty in front of you,” Eller added. “For him to come back from those setbacks says a lot about his character.”
As difficult as the last four seasons have been for Dach, Markov’s story should provide him — and Canadiens fans — with some hope for his future.
