The Montreal Canadiens announced Wednesday that former owner George Gillett Jr. passed away on September 22 at the age of 87. No cause of death has been made public.

Gillett, born October 22, 1938, in Racine, Wisconsin, bought the Canadiens and the Molson Centre on January 31, 2001. He owned the franchise until June 20, 2009, when he sold the team, the Bell Centre and his entertainment company to the Molson family.

His eight years as owner included some of the most memorable moments of that era in Montreal:

• April 9, 2002: Saku Koivu returned to the ice after his battle with cancer, one of the most emotional nights in the history of the Bell Centre.
• September 1, 2002: The Molson Centre was renamed the Bell Centre.
• 2009: The organization began preparing for its centennial season in 2009-10, and the groundwork for those celebrations was laid during his tenure.

Away from hockey, Gillett also became the owner of English Premier League club Liverpool FC in February 2007.

In a statement, current Canadiens owner, president and CEO Geoff Molson offered his condolences to the Gillett family on behalf of the whole organization. Molson said Gillett embraced the Montreal community, was well liked inside the organization, and that the club is grateful for what he contributed as owner.

Whatever fans thought of the business side of that era, Gillett was the man in charge when the franchise marked some of its most human and historic moments. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and everyone who knew him.

Sources: Montreal Canadiens (NHL.com), RDS / La Presse Canadienne