Montreal, Quebec (My Sportsbook) - The Montreal Canadiens announced at a Monday press conference that Bob Gainey has been named the team's new executive vice president and general manager, effective July 1, 2003. Meanwhile, Andre Savard, the current GM, will become assistant general manager.

Gainey and Savard both agreed to four-year contracts.

"The appointment of Bob Gainey marks a new page in the Canadiens history," said team president Pierre Boivin. "We are very happy to welcome Bob to our organization. His experience as a player, a coach and a general manager, his professional expertise and his personal qualities along with his profound knowledge of the National Hockey League will be a major contribution to the continued improvement of the Montreal Canadiens."

Gainey played his entire 16-year career with Montreal. He won five Stanley Cups and was captain of the team from 1981-89. Gainey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.

Among his many honors, he earned the Frank J. Selke Award as the NHL's best defensive forward the first four years it was presented. He captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the 1979 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The 49-year-old Gainey was looking to get back into the business of hockey after taking some time off for personal reasons.

Gainey joined the Stars' organization as coach of Minnesota in 1990 and added general manager to his coaching duties in 1992. He voluntarily gave up his coaching title on January 8, 1996 and stepped down as the team's general manager on January 25, 2002.

During Gainey's tenure, Dallas captured five consecutive division titles, two Presidents' Trophies and a Stanley Cup in 1999. As a coach in 1991, Gainey led the North Stars to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Savard became the 14th general manager of the Canadiens on November 20, 2000. In his first complete season as GM in 2001-02, Montreal reached the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the 1997-98 campaign.