Lucie Lachance: Giving back to Gallagher

MONTREAL – We’ve all heard of someone who fell in love with hockey, or the Canadiens, because of Brendan Gallagher.

Montreal hockey fans are finely tuned to see and appreciate all the little things hockey players do in the name of winning, and they’ve certainly seen a lot of that from Gallagher, who since joining the Canadiens in 2012-13, has established himself as the heart and soul of the team.

He wears the iconic Bleu-Blanc-Rouge jersey with immense pride, knowing how much it means to so many. He stands up for his teammates. He goes straight to the net and into the corners, regardless of the consequences. He’s literally poured his blood, sweat, and tears for the Habs. He gives it his all every time he hits the ice.

And so, in a trying time for the 32-year-old, it should come as no surprise that those perceptive fans, to whom he’s so endeared himself, would give back.

In early March, Gallagher’s mom, Della, passed away following a three-and-a-half-year battle with cancer.

Lucie Lachance is one of those fans who was inspired by the way Gallagher plays. She says she first fell in love with the Canadiens because of Patrick Roy, and her love was rekindled when she discovered Gallagher at the 2016 Winter Classic against the Boston Bruins.

“He was everywhere. I think he was coming back from a big injury and he gave it his all in that game. I was at home sick, I had the flu, I was bedridden, and I was out of it. But watching him, I couldn’t stop myself from following the game. That stayed with me,” she recounted of Gallagher, who recorded a goal and an assist in the marquee contest. “I love his energy and his passion. He’s a warrior.”

A native of Gatineau, QC, Lachance has a fair bit of No. 11’s memorabilia which she treasures, but when she learned of Della’s passing, she knew there was one item she’d have to part ways with.

It was a Hockey Fights Cancer warmup jersey Gallagher had dedicated to his mom back in 2022.

Lachance immediately made the decision that the jersey belonged with Gallagher and his family and should be given back to them.

“When I saw that his mom passed away, I told myself, ‘I need to return this jersey to the family. It belongs to them, it no longer belongs to me,’” she recalled.

Lachance posted on X to offer the jersey, an offer Gallagher graciously accepted. He invited her to Fan Appreciation Night at the Bell Centre on April 16 and, in return, gave her his game-worn jersey from the night along with a stick following the game.

The Gallagher superfan says that while many told her they’d have hung on to the Hockey Fights Cancer jersey given what they cost, she felt she would benefit more from having done the right thing and the inspiration others would get from the gesture.

“I did it because I felt it should go back to them,” explained Lachance. “I will bring some happiness into people's lives and that makes me so happy.”

After all, Lachance knows how much Gallagher has given to the Canadiens and to hockey fans in the city.

“People often say he’s the heart and soul of the team. I think that’s true, and players coming in are going to want to have a good role model to follow. Gallagher has always been that for the Canadiens, from the start until now,” she said of the 13-year veteran, who enjoyed his fifth 20-goal season this year, his first since 2019-20, and is now tied with Bob Gainey for 15th all-time in goals for the franchise with 239. “He’s like a father with his kids. He’s there to guide them, he gives them good advice, and he never gives up, never surrenders.”

Lachance also hopes that all the talk surrounding the jersey swap helps raise awareness around the disease. Her cousin also lost his battle with the same cancer, and she knows that donating to research could help prolong lives or even find a cure. The Gallagher family is, of course, on board with that; Brendan’s sister, Bree, will be running the Vancouver Marathon in May to raise money for brain cancer research.

Back to Lachance’s gesture, Gallagher felt incredibly touched by what she chose to do.

“I said [on the signed stick], ‘Thank you for being amazing,’ because that’s truly what you are,” he told her while they were exchanging jerseys on the ice to chants of his name.

The love from Lachance, the adoration from the crowd: further solidification of the bond Gallagher has made with Canadiens fans since slipping on the fabled jersey for the first time more than a decade ago.

May the gesture, and the jersey, be a source of comfort to Gallagher and his family during this difficult time.