Gallagher embracing leadership role as Canadiens continue playoff push

MONTREAL -- There wasn’t a whisker on the now-bearded chin of Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher 12 years ago, but his grin today is exactly what he wore on Jan. 27, 2013, holding the puck with which he scored his first NHL goal.

The smile on Thursday had everything to do with the Canadiens knocking loudly on the door of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four years, and with the pride he feels in the way the team is charging into the final days of the regular season.

Gallagher’s first career goal came at Bell Centre on a 25-foot wrist shot, beating New Jersey Devils legend Martin Brodeur 13:35 into the first period. He has scored 238 goals since that one potted during his third NHL game.

Now he’s chuckling at a photo of himself and then-teammate Brandon Prust in this dressing room, Gallagher gripping the puck of his first NHL goal, the veteran Prust holding his first with the Canadiens following a 4-3 overtime win.

Brendan Gallagher (r.) with the puck he used to score his first NHL goal on Jan. 27, 2013. With him is teammate Brandon Prust, who that night scored his first goal as a member of the Canadiens.

Gallagher has played all 830 of his NHL games with the Canadiens since being chosen by Montreal in the fifth round (No. 147) of the 2010 NHL Draft. For 13 seasons, he has played battered and bruised, black and blue from punishment absorbed for parking his 5-foot-9, 185-pound body in front of the opposing goalie, and from forever rumbling well outside of his weight class.

Gallagher has ridden the highs and lows of hockey in one of the game’s most passionate markets, skating into the Stanley Cup Playoffs six times during his first 12 seasons.

Now, after missing the postseason the past three seasons, he and Montreal teammates are on the verge of pushing into the playoffs. They can clinch a berth on Friday with a regulation win against the Ottawa Senators on Friday (7 p.m. ET, RDS, SNE, SNO, SNW).

And there’s that grin again.

He laughs when the question is put to him to guess roughly how many teammates he’s had in Montreal.

Brendan Gallagher during pregame warmup at Bell Centre on April 3, 2025.

“A hundred and fifty?” he ventures, coming up 56 short.

Should the Canadiens still be playing beyond Game 82, the city again will be in the grip of playoff fever, last felt during the team’s 22-game 2021 playoff run, ending with a five-game Stanley Cup Final loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. With COVID-19 restrictions, Montreal’s early home playoff games were played in a virtually empty Bell Centre, then with crowds of only 2,500 and 3,500; now, 21,105 will pack the arena.

“This group really had to earn it to get to this point,” Gallagher said after practice on Thursday, the Canadiens packing for their huge road game against the Senators.

The Senators hold the first wild card in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the Canadiens. Both teams have played 78 games.

Brendan Gallagher during Bell Centre national anthems on April 1, 2023.

“We dipped as far down as you can dip, we had some hard days, some hard practice days, but it kind of defined us,” Gallagher said. “We stuck together as a group, we went through it together. Now we’re starting to reap the rewards a little bit.

“It’s always important to keep in the back of your mind what you went through. That’s what makes you who you are. As a group, it’s hopefully what makes us a special group.”

The Canadiens had three particularly difficult stretches this season, a six-game losing streak and two more of five. They lost five straight between March 20-28 but have since won six in a row.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that heading into the final weekend of the regular season, this city is beside itself breathing playoff-perfumed air.

Brendan Gallagher, wearing No. 73 before he switched to No. 11, skates against the Florida Panthers on Jan. 22, 2013 at Bell Centre.

Gallagher has been a vital part of the season, getting 38 points (21 goals, 17 assists) and not missing a single game. His offensive output is his best since 2019-20, when he put up 43 points (22 goals, 21 assists).

The energy will build to a fever pitch next week with Montreal’s final two home games -- Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks and Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes -- before it would hit (the city’s fingers crossed) a playoff crescendo.

“I’m maybe the only player on this team who has seen what this building can feel like and sound like come playoff time, it’s been so long,” Gallagher said. “I think we’re getting a little taste here game by game. You can see more and more energy, the enthusiasm of the fans. It’s definitely not an easy building for other teams.

Brendan Gallagher attempts to get at Florida Panthers’ Niko Mikkola at the end of their game at Amerant Bank Arena on March 30, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida.

“The Bell Centre and the crowd have such an impact on the game. We’re just excited. I’m proud of the group, we’re enjoying the opportunity and the moment, we’re not letting it get too big for us. We’re just staying within ourselves, taking each day as a new challenge and seeing what we can do.”

The Canadiens’ greatest strength, Gallagher suggests, has been their resilience, a bond and chemistry built more during the hard times than the good.

There is a belief the players have in themselves, he says, no matter what the scoreboard reads.

“There’s not much we haven’t seen at this point,” Gallagher said. “We’re resilient, we’re tough to put away. It’s something that I think is a real strength of ours.”

He has very much grown up in Montreal, becoming a veteran, a leader, a husband and a father. His leadership has been exemplary, a rugged by-example member of a core group for a decade.

Brendan Gallagher with teammate Emil Heineman before the Canadiens’ April 3, 2025 game against the Boston Bruins.

“There’s a time and a place to speak up,” Gallagher said. “That’s part of learning and maturing as a leader, understanding when to speak, when to pull a guy aside, when to let the guys be themselves.

“There are a lot of different ways to lead. Just understand the situation, just go with your feel and your instincts, try to do what’s best for the group at all times. If you get a chance to help an individual, you try to do it the best you can.”

Montreal coach Martin St. Louis values what Gallagher brings to the ice and the dressing room.

“I think he’s pulled the group into the fight every night,” St. Louis said on Thursday. “You know what you’re going to get from 'Gally.' He’s going to empty the tank every night, he’ll give you everything he has.

Brendan Gallagher is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on March 20, 2025.

“You know exactly where he’s going to be. He’s going to be around the net, he’s going to win battles in the corners. I’m so happy for the kind of season that he’s had this year. When I took this job (45 games into the 2020-21 season), he was running into some injury issues, he was swimming against the current.

“But he’s been healthy for a while now and his game this year has been very consistent. His whole career, 'Gally' has found a way to score. I think a healthy Gallagher can still score in this League and he’s shown that this year.”

Gallagher has two years remaining on his contract, but anything beyond that isn’t anywhere on his radar with the Canadiens surging toward the postseason.

“Every once in a while someone will ask me about my contract, and I’ll think about it a little bit,” he said. “But as of now, I have no plans. I’m just enjoying what I’m doing. I still feel that I’m able to do my job and I won’t make a decision until the day comes that I feel that I can’t.

Brendan Gallagher stretches at the bench during warmup before the Canadiens’ March 18, 2025 Bell Centre game against the Ottawa Senators.

“Montreal is really a second home for me, the way they treat myself and my family. I couldn’t imagine my life without Montreal. From Day 1, I’ve just embraced the passion that they’ve shown, their enthusiasm. Every time that I’ve put on the Canadiens sweater has meant a lot to me. Maybe there’s something about the way I play that resonates with fans. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences here and Montreal will always be a part of my life.”

It’s all part of Gallagher’s big picture in Montreal, his seventh trip to the playoffs tantalizingly close. He’s enjoying every second of it while knowing full well that nothing has been accomplished until he sees an “X” beside Montreal Canadiens in the standings.

“It may sound silly, but until you’re in, you’re not in,” he said. “Our entire focus is we have to win games and clinch our spot. After that, whoever you play, you play. It’s going to be a tough challenge no matter your opponent. Most likely you’re going to be the underdog, which is a situation we’re familiar with, but right now it’s just about getting in.

“What’s happening now has been special, for everyone.”