‘Having a letter won’t change the way I play’
Gallagher, named alternate captain, has won hearts over past three seasons
When Max Pacioretty was introduced as the Canadiens’ 29th captain Friday, the team also acknowledged that its leadership group had grown by one when Brendan Gallagher was named as one of four alternate captains.
“It’s a great honour when you think of this team’s history and all the great players who have worn letters,” said Gallagher, who has won the hearts of Montreal fans with his feisty play over the past three seasons.
General manager Marc Bergevin said presenting Gallagher with an A on his jersey reflected the respect he has earned not only in the Canadiens room but also around the league. While local fans appreciate Gallagher’s willingness to go to the net and crowd opposing goaltenders, the tactic hasn’t gone over as well with opponents and referees.
“Having a letter won’t change the way I play and I don’t think it will affect the way officials look at me,” said the 23-year-old Gallagher, who is among the league leaders in goaltender-interference penalties.
The 5-foot-9, 184-pounder said his job is to play on the edge and create havoc in front of the opposing team’s net without incurring the wrath of the referees.
“We’re talking all the time and I know that when I get in the blue paint they’re going to tell me to get out of there,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher’s success is impressive because he was a fifth-round draft choice and because he’s not very tall.
“People talk about me being a fifth-round draft choice as if it’s a bad thing, but I think it’s a good thing that I was drafted in the fifth round and made it to the NHL,” he said.
As for the size issue, Gallagher is a superbly conditioned athlete and has benefited from a program devised by his father, who is the strength coach for the Vancouver Giants junior team.
Gallagher noted that he added some muscle during the offseason and that he’s taller now — sort of.
“I usually check in a 5-foot-8½, but this year they measured me at 5-foot-9,” Gallagher said. “I think she liked me.”
Andrei Markov, Tomas Plekanec and P.K. Subban will retain the As they wore last season and the team will employ a rotating basis. Markov and Gallagher will be paired as alternate captains, while Subban and Plekanec will form the other pair as the team balances a soft-spoken veteran with a more vocal younger player. One pair will wear the As on the road and the other pair at home.
So, who will referees talk to if they have a choice between Markov or Gallagher?
“It will definitely be Marky,” Gallagher said. “The conversation will be shorter that way.”
The Canadiens officially opened camp Friday in Brossard with a scrimmage and there was a hint about how coach Michel Therrien will deal with an abundance of centres this season: Lars Eller was playing left wing on a line with Alex Galchenyuk and veteran newcomer Alexander Semin.
“I like playing the wing and I was out there with two skilled players,” said Eller, who in the past has expressed a preference for playing centre.
Eller said he wouldn’t be surprised if he finds himself playing centre at some point this season but, for now, he’s taking some delight in being a top-six forward.
Semin, who is hoping to revive his career after being bought out by the Carolina Hurricanes during the summer, beat Carey Price to open scoring in the camp’s first scrimmage. But it wasn’t enough as the Red team rallied to beat the Whites 2-1 in a shootout.
Zack Kassian, another offseason pickup, tied the score against Michal Condon and Brian Flynn was the only scorer in the shootout. Goalie Zach Fucale was big in the shootout as he stopped Galchenyuk, Semin and Eller.
There will another scrimmage Saturday morning at 11 and the team will move to the Bell Centre for an intrasquad game Sunday at 1 p.m. The action heats up next week when the Canadiens play four preseason games, beginning Tuesday when the Toronto Maple Leafs are at the Bell Centre.
Notes: Michaël Bournival wasn’t on the ice Friday because he’s experiencing concussion-like symptoms. That’s not good news for Bournival, who finished last season on the injured-reserve list with a concussion. Also absent was defenceman Tom Gilbert, who has the flu.