Byron met with the media at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Friday, two days after he officially retired as a player and accepted a new job as a player development advisor with the Canadiens.

“It’s still very fresh for me,” Byron said of his new role after coaching one of the teams at morning training camp and also helping out with on-ice drills. “I’m still learning. I feel like it’s the first day of school right now, trying to get to know all these new places in the rink and tunnels that I didn’t know existed. It’s been a lot of fun so far.”

Keeping Byron with the Canadiens was a smart move by management after he spent the final seven seasons of his 12-year NHL career in Montreal. Byron didn’t play at all last season because he was forced to retire due to a hip injury at age 34. Although he didn’t play, Byron was still with the team last season and watched some games in a private box at the Bell Center with Jeff Gorton, the executive vice president of hockey operations, and GM Kent Hughes.

Byron told Gorton and Hughes at the end of the season that he hoped to stay in the game and be able to share his experiences with younger players. Now he has that chance. Byron joins Rob Ramage and Francis Bouillon – both former NHL defensemen – in the player development department, bringing both the perspective of a forward and someone who has recently played. Marie-Philip Poulin, captain of the Canadian women’s team and a member of the new Montreal team in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, is also a player development advisor with the Canadiens.

Byron said his hip still hurts, but he’s been able to adjust and it’s not really affecting his daily life. When he tries to skate hard, his hip really hurts the next day, but he feels comfortable helping out on the ice during training camp practices.

A turning point in Byron’s hockey life came in 2006 when Gatineau Olympics GM Charlie Henry and head coach Benoît Groulx visited his family home in Ottawa. Last season, as a diminutive 16-year-old, Byron posted a 20-23-43 record in 33 games for the Ottawa-West Golden Knights in a tough Junior B league. Byron was passed over in the OHL Junior Draft, but Henry and Groulx offered him a chance to play in the QMJHL.

“It was a big decision for me,” Byron remembers. “But when you talk to the coach and someone like Charlie with his experience and belief in you, it was hard to turn down the offer.”

Byron scored 91 goals in his three seasons with the Londres and then played two seasons with the Portland Pirates of the AHL before making his NHL debut with Buffalo. Byron played just eight games for the Sabers before being traded to the Calgary Flames, and spent parts of three seasons with the Abbotsford Heat of the AHL before becoming a regular in the NHL. The Canadiens claimed him off waivers from the Flames the day before the start of the 2015-16 season.

“It was a big year for them, a big training camp,” Byron said. “I wanted to give them the opportunity to train, train and skate here.

“I learned a lot about Logan,” Byron added. “He’s a really nice young man. My children loved him. We loved the experience with him in our home. I miss him somehow. The house feels a bit lonely.”

In addition to his new job with the Canadiens, Byron will also help coach the hockey teams that his two children – 10-year-old Elianna and 9-year-old Brysen – play for.

“Last year I helped my daughter’s team. This year I’m helping my son,” Byron said. “He’s a two-A atomic first year, so he tries to help them out a little bit. Bring some things from here to there. I plan to also go on the ice for my daughter and help her (nuclear) team as much as I can.

“I’m just trying to balance the best of both worlds.”