Brendan Gallagher, 10 years later

"I probably yelled at the refs too much," admitted Brendan Gallagher with a laugh, reflecting on the advice he would offer his 20-year-old self with the benefit of wisdom that comes with a decade of experience.

Brendan Gallagher Jersey](https://www.tricoloresports.com/us/srvc0311-chandail-replique-2017-gallagher-11.html?utmsource=Canadiens&utmmedium=link&utmcampaign=CHCcontent&utmcontent=EN-0210-GallagherJersey)

"I don't think I was wrong," he clarified, still chuckling. "I just could have handled some situations better. It took four or five years of smoothing over those relationships, and there are still a few guys I have to work on, but I'm getting there."

While he may have needed a few years to win over NHL officiating crews, Gallagher earned his "fan favorite" status in Montreal almost immediately upon making his NHL debut on January 22, 2013. Throwing his body around with abandon while nearly permanently implanting himself in opposing blue paint over the last decade has helped cement his reputation as a gritty, heart-and-soul leader in the lineup, and someone who has never taken a shift - let alone a game - off.

A hard worker since day 1

Much has changed since Gallagher took his first strides in a Canadiens jersey exactly 10 years ago, but over 600 games later, the feeling remains the same every time he has a chance to pull on that iconic sweater.

"I think in a way, I'm still the 20-year-old kid that's just kind of smiling all the time and happy to be here. But at the same time, I think I've really grown," said Gallagher, who was selected in the fifth round, 147th overall by Montreal in 2010.

"It's not that I didn't know before, but I've really grown to understand what being a Montreal Canadien is and how much it means to so many people.

And being a part of that, you understand how special it is as a player.

"You understand that you're doing something special. The more time you spend here, the more you understand that, yeah, we're hockey players, but the impact you're able to have on people's lives is more than you realize at times. A lot of people play in the National Hockey League, but not everyone gets to play for the Montreal Canadiens," he added. "It's a really special experience and you just try to enjoy as much you can."

Gallagher's passion and work ethic have been his calling cards since he arrived at the team's training camp following the 2012-13 NHL lockout, injecting equal parts grit and youthful enthusiasm into a veteran-heavy lineup from the start.

"I was just lucky that Berg [then-general manager Marc Bergevin] and Michel Therrien wanted to give me a chance. I didn't get into the lineup the first game," he recalled. "At practice the next day, there was one drill I did well, I remember it was a battle drill and guys were cheering, making me feel good. And the next night I was in the lineup."

After earning his spot on the roster for Game 2, the feisty forward exploded out of the gates, setting up Alex Galchenyuk for his fellow rookie's first career NHL goal, and he never looked back.

"Even that first year, you could tell he had something special," recalled Brian Gionta, Gallagher's first NHL captain, who was 34 years old when Gallagher made his NHL debut. "I remember just how respectful he was, how down-to-earth he was. He would just come with his work boots on and was the ultimate teammate.

"He came in almost completely self-sufficient," he added. "He had to learn the pro game, obviously, but habits-wise, work ethic-wise, teammate-wise, he didn't have those little things you had to teach him along the way. He had those innately in him. Things like how to be a good teammate, how to work at practice. He didn't have any of those growing pains."

That's not to say Gallagher had a blemish-free record as a rookie. He recalls at least one lesson in preparation - and sun safety - he had to learn the hard way.

"I remember one time I enjoyed the sun a little bit too much down in Florida. Michel Therrien called me in before the game and I had a sunburn. I thought it was going to be a jokey meeting," shared Gallagher. "It wasn't a joke.

"I had a sunburn on my face and he said, 'Did you prepare? Did you get ready?' And the answer was obviously, 'No.' It seems silly but it's all part of it," continued Gallagher, who finished his inaugural season as a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the NHL's top rookie. "As a young guy, you learn little things like that, like if you spend the day in the sun, you're not going to have the energy that you normally have. I learned a lot from him. There were no grey areas. He understood what got you going and every once in a while, you had to hear from him."

Right coach at the right time

Gallagher has had a chance to learn from four different head coaches during his time in the League, from Therrien to Claude Julien to Dominique Ducharme, and now Martin St-Louis. With every new bench boss came a new opportunity to grow and learn.

"All my coaches came at good times in my career. Michel Therrien was the perfect coach for me as a rookie," said Gallagher. "He made sure that I wasn't on the ice in situations where I was going to be in trouble. He protected me. And then as the season went on, you start to earn the coach's trust, and he starts to put you in positions where you earn more responsibility from him. It was never given, you had to earn it, but once you earned it, he wasn't shy to put you in those positions. He gave me every chance to succeed.

"And then Claude came in. Our team was dipping at the time, and he kind of kicked our confidence back up. And for me, he put me in a position where I was playing a lot with Pleky [Tomas Plekanec] and I played a lot with Phil [Danault]. Playing with that type of centerman was really beneficial for my game. I was put on the ice against some of the best players in the world and then me, Phil, and Tuna [Tomas Tatar] became a really effective line in terms of controlling the game, and we enjoyed that challenge and that opportunity that was given to us by Claude," recalled Gallagher, who led the Canadiens in scoring during Julien's first full year behind the bench in 2017-18, his first of two 30-plus goal seasons with the Canadiens.

"Then when Dom came in, obviously, it was a short stint, but he gave us a chance to go to the Stanley Cup Final," continued Gallagher, who assisted on Artturi Lehkonen's now-iconic overtime winner in Game 6 of the 2021 semifinal series against Vegas that sent the Canadiens to the team's first Finals appearance since 1993. "Dom took our team from a low point to where we were able to get it back. That run and that experience is something that as a hockey player, you're never going to forget."

Finally, there's Martin St-Louis, Gallagher's current head coach, who himself enjoyed a 16-year career as a player, suiting up for 1,134 regular season games and an additional 107 playoff tilts. Getting to learn lessons in longevity from a 5-foot-8 Hall-of-Famer and Stanley Cup champion is something Gallagher hopes will once again prove to be a case of having the perfect coach at the perfect time in his career.

"Marty was my favorite player growing up. And then I played against him and I saw how competitive he was. And then getting the chance to learn under him now, he just has so many ideas. He thinks the game so differently and that opens up little areas in your brain. They all make a ton of sense, but until you hear them from him, you don't really think about them. I'm looking forward to continuing to learn from him and I've learned a lot already in terms of how to think the game."

Lessons from teammates past

A student of the game from the start, Gallagher has succeeded in part because he's taken advantage of every opportunity to learn from the team's leaders, from coaches and captains to former roommate, Josh Gorges.

"During those rides to and from the rink, Gorgie did a lot of the talking and I did a lot of the learning and it was something that meant a lot to me," said Gallagher, who lived with Gorges and his wife Maggie for his first two seasons as a Hab. "Gorgie was watching me in battles down low and he told me, 'When you get in these battles, you're not going to be stronger than other guys so you're not going to be able to push guys off. You just have to position yourself well and think the game. Use your brain and think the game. There are times to be aggressive and there are times to back off.' He always had little things like that, whether it was how to prepare for a game or small tricks on the ice. He shared a lot of wisdom.

"Gosh, I hope he never reads this interview," he added with a laugh.

"In a city like in Montreal, I just had to play hockey. I didn't have to worry about anything else that was going on, distractions, what I was going to eat, getting around the city, anything. It was taken care of. It's hard for me to say I'd be where I am today without Josh and Maggie stepping up and doing that for me, so it's something I really appreciate."

Gallagher had a chance to pick Gorges' brain around the dinner table and during their daily commute, but he was just as happy to absorb more subtle lessons from some of the team's quiet leaders in the room.

"Playing with a guy like Corey Perry helped me as well, just watching the way he took care of his body. He was at the rink all the time, he basically never left. First one there, last one to leave. That was what Pares was all about," confirmed Gallagher, who won a gold medal alongside Perry as a member of Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Championship a few years before Perry signed with Montreal ahead of the 2020-21 season. "He plays hard and he puts his body in tough spots. You look at him and it's not like he's the strongest guy, but he just takes care of his body and knows what it takes to be a pro and he knows what it takes to get ready to compete every game. And in terms of bringing it every game, he was another teammate that when I look back, I'm happy I got to play with."

"And then Gio was a guy I learned a lot from. He has a similar frame, scored a lot of goals, played a similar style, played the same position as me. The way he was able to find little pockets, I learned a lot watching him," added Gallagher. "The way he and Pleky thought the game, watching them, you can pick up a lot."

Lots of hockey left

Making it as a pro is one thing, but staying a pro - and staying consistent - for as long as you can is what sets great players apart. Longevity in the League, especially for undersized players who play bigger than their frames, doesn't happen by accident.

"Gio used to laugh at me because all I used to do was go play soccer the whole time and Gio would be stretching for 45 minutes," said Gallagher. "And now I get to the rink and I'm there 45 minutes earlier than I ever was because there's just more to do. As you get older, I think you have to take care of yourself a little bit better."

How to recover is a lesson Gallagher has had to learn the hard way, though he continues putting his body on the line every night and he's likely never going to start playing along the perimeter. He just doesn't have that in him.

"I told him in his first year, you're going to have to adapt your game. You're not going to be able to go face-first into it all the time," recalled Gionta, who played over 1,000 games in his 16-year career. "I told him he was going to have to, I don't want to say 'pick-and-choose' because you're built a certain way where you're always going to give your all out there, but you're going to have to be a little more cautious at times and not be throwing your body into every scrum. You have to choose which scrums you're going to be a part of."

Sage advice from his former captain, who spent over a decade-and-a-half in the NHL and retired just a few months shy of his 40th birthday. But getting a player like Gallagher to ease off the gas occasionally is easier said than done.

"I laugh because I said that again when we went for dinner together a few months ago, and then a game or two later, he had this highlight reel shift where he was, like, smashing into the goalie, he comes back, hits someone else, comes out and gets smashed at the blue line… I texted him the clip like, 'You're clearly not listening to my advice,'" said Gionta with a chuckle.

"Oh, I've been told. I've been told many times, but I'm a little stubborn," countered Gallagher. "Listen, you've got to learn some lessons for yourself."
Gallagher, whose current contract runs through the end of the 2026-27 season, knows he still has plenty of great hockey in him. While he's happy to reflect on his first 10 years as a pro, he's not ready to look in the rearview mirror just yet, although he is appreciative of his chance to pay-it-forward from veterans-past and help mentor a new class of young, enthusiastic Habs into the future.

"I think times are changing a little bit, but in terms of the way the locker room is, it's the same. Everyone has everyone's respect. Everyone is a key part of the team. And when you're sitting in that locker room, you're expected to do your job, and you're expected to be who you are," he explained.

"I'm comfortable talking to some of these guys and helping them out and making that learning curve a little bit smoother, just like guys did for me. You want to be in that situation where you're helping guys and putting this organization in a good place to succeed," he added. "You're making sure everyone's respected in there. The locker room is kind of our safe place. We take care of that and make sure everyone's feeling good and happy and having fun. And when you do that, it usually leads to success on the ice."