Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher was named an ‘honorary citizen’ of Montreal at a ceremony at City Hall on Thursday.
Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada presented the honour to the 34-year-old player, who spent 14 seasons with the Canadiens and has long been a prominent figure in the city.
Several dozen people attended the event, including team owner Geoff Molson, where the Alberta native received numerous heartfelt tributes highlighting the determination, leadership, passion and courage he showed over his many years in Montreal.
“This city, I’ve really spent almost half my life in Montreal, and what the people, what the community mean to me, it’s really hard to put into words,” Gallagher said.
“I’m just so grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of it and to be welcomed by the people here.”
The hockey player received the city’s highest honour after Gallagher emotionally announced during his end-of-season media availability earlier this month that he will not return to the team next season.
“Montrealers are a special group of people and I’m very honoured by this entire day, but also my 17 years, really, since I’ve been drafted here,” the player said.
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“For 14 seasons, more than 800 games,” Mayor Martinez Ferrada said. “For an entire generation of fans, Brendan wasn’t just a player. He was their player.”
She called Gallagher “the image of effort, courage and perseverance,” saying he battled through adversity, never backed down and gave everything to his team.
She added that he embodied Montreal’s resilience and grit, and thanked him for showing “what commitment to a team and a city looks like.”
“He showed us the kind of character that could not be measure on sports spreadsheets,” she said.
“From the whole city: Thank you, Gally.”
Head coach Martin St. Louis reduced Gallagher’s role late in the season and during the playoffs, resulting in him playing in only three of the team’s 19 post-season games.
Gallagher has one year remaining on his six-year, US$39-million contract, which carries an annual salary-cap hit of $6.5 million. The team’s management has two possible options: trading him or buying out his contract.
Selected by the Canadiens in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL draft, Gallagher has spent his entire 14-season NHL career with the organization, recording 246 goals and 487 points in 911 games. He added 14 goals and 34 points in 79 playoff games.
As for what comes next, he did not rule out a return close to home with the Vancouver Canucks. Born in Edmonton, Gallagher grew up in Tsawwassen, B.C., and played four seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants.
“It just needs to be a place where my family is comfortable. I think that’s the first priority,” he said. “We’re going to have two kids under two and my wife and my kids are No. 1. Then, after that, finding a place that I can go and do what I need do, play my game and find a place I can be helpful to a group.
“I’m sure there’s going to be a solution out there, a place out there where we can find all that.”
–with files from The Canadian Press
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