While the final week of the regular season is fan appreciation week in Montreal, it turned into Brendan Gallagher appreciation week this season. The Montreal Canadiens’ alternate captain lost his mother in early March, and since then, the fans have rallied around him to offer support and condolences.
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Two fans went above and beyond, though. Artist Jessica Boudreau (jb_artmtl on Instagram) painted a picture of the right winger hugging his mother on his wedding day. When Gallagher saw it on Instagram, he asked to meet her in person to thank her and receive the painting. The meeting happened on Wednesday at the Bell Centre.
Later, after the Canadiens had finally clinched their playoff berth, Gallagher met Lucie Lachance on the red carpet. The Gatineau fan who had won his Hockey Fights Cancer lavender jersey in an auction in 2022 had offered to send it back to him after Della Gallagher’s passing, as he had dedicated it to her, but Gallagher replied he wanted to do a jersey swap on the final night of the season with her.
Lachance went a bit further, bringing the player gifts for his daughter Everly, who was born days before his mother's passing. Gallagher gave her a signed jersey and a signed stick as well, along with what looked like a long thank-you note.
Chanceux d’avoir des partisans comme vous 💜
— x - Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 17, 2025
Habs fans are the best#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/Iv15JaL4ym
Montreal Canadiens fans may be intense and willing to drive to the airport to get a glimpse of a 19-year-old’s arrival in the country. Still, their intensity also shows in how they support their players in sickness and health until death do them part, and even beyond that. Who doesn’t remember the funerals of Jean Beliveau and Guy Lafleur?
The fans' love for this team knows no end, making Montreal an actual hockey city. In this market, hockey is so important that electoral campaign debates are moved to ensure fans won’t prioritize hockey over politics. After all, politics and religion should never be mixed and for some, the Sainte-Flanelle is more than a hockey team, it is a religion.
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