Brendan Gallagher says it’s time to ‘find a new home’ in emotional Canadiens farewell

BROSSARD — Brendan Gallagher stepped away to collect himself.

The Montreal Canadiens winger — a heart-and-soul warrior for 14 seasons — knew his time had come.

He just needed another few moments.

“So thankful and so fortunate to have spent as much time as I have here,” Gallagher said to open his end-of-year availability Monday as players cleaned out lockers following a five-game defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final.

“There’s been ups and downs, but I don’t have a single regret. So it’s pretty clear I’ll be moving on here, but (I’m) incredibly, incredibly…”

The sentence never made it all the way out.

Gallagher paused for more than 15 seconds, his ball cap pulled low over his forehead as he fought back tears, before reflecting on the support he received when his mother, Della, died of brain cancer last year.

“I just had a thought about my mum,” he added, taking a deep breath. “I was just thinking about how the teammates supported me through that. I still get emotional talking about her, but that’s just something that always will stick with me.”

Overcome with emotion, the Canadiens’ longest-serving current player then briefly moved away from the wall of cameras and microphones, gathering himself during an emotional farewell from the only NHL franchise he’s ever known.

“I went through some pretty tough times, and the way the guys came behind me and rallied behind me last year, really, it’s one of the proudest moments I’ve had,” said Gallagher, remembering when the team made a trip to his family home in British Columbia in March 2025. “She was so proud to see me be a Montreal Canadien and, yeah, that’s just part of it.

“The teammates I’ve had throughout the years, the incredible love for the city is something that I’ll always have with me.”

The 34-year-old from Edmonton, who also grew up in Tsawwassen, B.C., saw his role shrink this season on a young team emerging from a rebuild he helped lead.

Head coach Martin St. Louis healthy-scratched him late in the regular season and into the playoffs, with Gallagher dressing in just three games — all in the first round — during the Canadiens’ run to the conference final.

“I was actually looking forward to the opportunity to try to pull guys into the fight,” said Gallagher, who thought he might play at some point during Montreal’s lopsided loss to Carolina.

“I thought that’s something that I’ll never lose and something I do well. I’m sure I would have been able to, but it just wasn’t given the opportunity. And that’s fine. I’ve had to accept this fate here for a little while.”

The Canadiens selected Gallagher in the fifth round, 147th overall, at the 2010 NHL draft.

The five-foot-nine forward, known for crashing the crease and playing through punishment, had 246 goals and 487 points in 911 regular-season games with the Canadiens. He’s been an alternate captain since 2015-16 and helped Montreal reach the 2021 Stanley Cup final.

Gallagher, who registered just seven goals and 16 assists in 77 games this season as his ice time dropped to a career-low 12 minutes 21 seconds, has one year remaining on his contract at US$6.5 million and intends to keep playing.

“There’s more in the tank,” he said. “I would have loved for it to be here. It’s just one of those situations where I guess my time has come, and they’ve moved on.

“I just need to find a new home and do what I do as a player, but I can certainly keep playing.”

Moments earlier, general manager Kent Hughes said the organization had yet to determine Gallagher’s future, but stressed the organization would treat his situation with care.

“With his contributions to the Canadiens organization over the course of his career here, it’s not easy,” Hughes said. “It’s tough to swallow for a player who was one of the best players in his time here in Montreal.

“We’re going to meet him … but the only thing I can tell you is that we owe him respect.”

Fellow veteran forward Josh Anderson called Gallagher “the ultimate competitor.”

“Puts everything on the line, his body and whatnot. He’s a winner,” said Anderson, Gallagher’s teammate since 2020-21. “A guy that’s always gonna be a friend for life … he’s just an absolute warrior.”

Phillip Danault, a linemate in two separate stints with the Canadiens, praised Gallagher for beating the odds despite his small stature with grit and perseverance.

“The guy went to war in every game,” Danault said. “In front of the net, scoring big goals, paying the price for the guys. Such a great leader.”

Gallagher doesn’t yet know what comes next — he still needs to speak with his agent — but didn’t rule out a return close to home on the West Coast.

“I’m sure there will be a couple places to sit down with my wife and make sure what’s best for our family, and then you go forward,” he said. “But certainly Vancouver would be a great place.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2026.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press