Brendan Gallagher is the longest-serving member of the Canadiens, now in his 13th season with the team.
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At age 32, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound right-winger continues to be the heart and soul of the team.
When the Canadiens lost 3-2 in overtime to the Utah Hockey Club Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, Gallagher assisted on both goals and had a team-leading 10 hits.
When the Canadiens beat the Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime Wednesday night in Columbus, Gallagher dropped the gloves and fought Zach Werenski, who is five inches taller and 26 pounds heavier than he is. It might not have been the smartest move by Gallagher, who has broken his left hand twice when hit by shots and who broke his jaw during the 2020 playoffs. Werenski won the fight, but Gallagher won over his teammates — again — as they cheered him on from the bench.
“They liked it,” Gallagher told reporters in Columbus after the game with a smile. “The guys are supportive any time that stuff happens, especially when it’s a guy that doesn’t do it all that often. I appreciate their support.”
Gallagher doesn’t fight often and said with a grin: “There’s a reason for it.”
A healthy Gallagher seems to be winning over Canadiens fans again this season, who like to focus on his contract, which has two more remaining seasons after this with an annual salary-cap hit of US$6.5 million. With eight goals in 22 games, Gallagher is on pace for his first 30-goal season since he scored 33 in 2018-19 and then went through a long list of injuries. That includes breaking his right ankle twice and limiting that 2022-23 season to 37 games. Going back to the end of last season, Gallagher has 13 goals in his last 27 games.
“He always brings it,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said about Gallagher after a recent practice. “Even in practice, he brings it. To me, that’s contagious. I think he leads by example a lot. But you can’t do that without having a good attitude. So Gally’s got a great attitude and I think he’s having fun out there again.”
Teammates Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson were both eight years old when Gallagher played his first game for the Canadiens on Jan. 22, 2013, a 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers at the Bell Centre.
“It’s never lost on me how fortunate I am to be in this organization, how well I’ve been treated by the organization, from the top down,” Gallagher said after a recent practice. “The fans — and it extends to my family as well. I love playing here, I love the city. There’s a long way to go, so it’s not a time to reminisce just yet. But I’m very fortunate.”
Gallagher said he would love to finish his career with the Canadiens.
“For me, it’s just every single year, whether it was my first year and now it’s my 13th year, I just try to be a good player that year,” he said. “Try to earn your spot and show that you have some value — and it hasn’t changed. I’m not looking that far down the road.”
Gallagher was asked if he tries to explain to his younger teammates what the Canadiens mean to the city, the community and the passionate fans.
“I think back when I was young, guys explained it to me,” he said. “But it’s one of those things that you have to go through and you have to live. I think as you experience it you really have an understanding. Certainly you have an awareness when you come in the Montreal Canadiens locker room, the history and the tradition. But to truly understand the fans’ passion, it’s just something you have to live through and experience yourself.”
Gallagher has been through a lot during his 13 seasons with the Canadiens and this summer he married Ste-Julie native Emma Fortin.
He seems to be getting smarter in his old age when it comes to listening to his body and taking a day off when needed from practice. He took two therapy days this month instead of practising with his teammates. It used to be you’d have to tie Gallagher down to keep him off the ice. When he was recovering from a broken hand in 2017, trainers had to cut the blade off his stick to keep him from shooting pucks.
Is he maybe listening to his wife now?
“She has a lot of say, but when it comes to hockey I think she knows not to over step,” he said with a smile.
I asked Gallagher last week if he could go back in time and speak to his 20-year-old self with the knowledge he has now what’s the best advice he would have.
“I don’t know … I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll think about that. Ask me in a couple of days. I’m trying to think.”
A couple of days later I asked Gallagher the question again.
“Honestly, I couldn’t think of anything,” he said.
He then added with a laugh: “Maybe shut up more.”