There’s certainly no love lost between Ottawa Senators fans and Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher.
So when Gallagher announced to the Montreal media on Monday that his time with the Canadiens was coming to an end, Senators fans likely viewed the moment a little differently than those in Montreal.
Advertisement
For Canadiens fans, Gallagher was the undersized, go-through-a-wall, heart-and-soul player who spent 14 seasons giving everything he had to the organization. Love him or hate him, he carved out an impressive NHL career and clearly wasn’t prepared for the emotions that came with admitting his time in Montreal was over.
“I got to do it for 14 years now and it’s not lost on me how special it was to call the Bell Centre home,’ Gallagher told the media.” The very first time I stepped foot in this organization, management, coaches, teammates I’ve had along the years. I can’t (say enough good things). There’s been ups and downs, but I don’t have a single regret.
“It’s pretty clear, I’ll be kind of moving on here, but you know, I’m incredibly, incredibly…”
With that, Gallagher got emotional.
Advertisement
Gallagher still has a year left on his contract, which pays him $6.5 million. The 34-year-old is coming off his least productive season as a pro, recording 23 points in 77 games. While the Canadiens enjoyed a lengthy playoff run, Gallagher appeared in just three games, scoring one goal.
Whether his next step is a trade, buyout, or retirement remains to be seen. What isn’t in doubt is that Gallagher leaves behind a memorable legacy in Montreal.
But in Ottawa, part of his legacy will always be tied to Tim Stützle.
Gallagher famously called out the young Senators star for embellishment following a game in April of 2022. Stützle had taken a knee-on-knee hit from Nick Suzuki and remained down on the ice for about 30 seconds before getting up and finishing the game. Gallagher wasn’t impressed.
Advertisement
“You know, there’s kids watching,” Gallagher said. “We’re role models. If I was a teammate of his, I’d tell him to smarten up. You know, it’s just not a good look. Very talented player, very good player. He needs to stop laying on the ice. It’s embarrassing.”
The comments generated headlines across the hockey world and helped fuel an excellent Atlantic Division rivalry.
The irony, at least from Ottawa’s perspective, was that Stützle was actually injured on the play. He gutted it out for the rest of that night, but missed the next two games against Nashville and the New York Rangers with a lower-body injury.
Nick Suzuki apologized for the hit, but Gallagher never walked back his take-down of Stützle. D.J. Smith would later say that after Gallagher’s comments, he noticed an uptick in players from other teams taking runs at Stutzle.
Advertisement
At the time of the comments, Gallagher was a 30-year-old veteran in the league, while Stützle was 20 and wrapping up his second NHL season. Rather than escalating the situation, Stutzle chose not to react.
“I respect (Gallagher) as a player. Everyone has their own opinion. He’s a veteran player. I have my opinion. That’s all I want to say about it.”
While Senators fans saw an older NHL player unfairly calling out one of the league’s emerging young stars, Canadiens fans saw a beloved veteran standing up for what he believed.
Years later, opinions on the incident haven’t changed much on either side.
Advertisement
Now, with Gallagher’s Montreal career coming to an end, Canadiens fans will remember him as a fiery, buzzsaw player who was more than happy to bleed for the brand. Senators fans will remember him as a pain in the butt and a player they loved to hate.
Either way, Brendan Gallagher made sure nobody was indifferent.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
Mason McTavish To Ottawa? Why The Trade Rumours Have Returned
