Canadiens’ Veteran Forward is Set to Surpass All-time Greats in Habs History

Montreal Canadiens veteran forward Brendan Gallagher made the rounds at his team’s development camp on Thursday. Gallagher took to the ice and was seen setting up shop in his usual office, the opposing goaltender's crease.

Gallagher’s long-time tenure with the bleu-blanc-rouge is notable considering that this upcoming season could reap monumental milestones for the winger out of Edmonton, Alta. He currently ranks 26th all-time in Canadiens history for games played with 752, as well as a 22nd-place ranking for goals scored with 218.

To offer a perspective on where Gallagher ranks for both categories, if he were to replicate his stats from last year—16 goals in 77 games played—he would surpass Tomas Plekanec for goals at 17th all-time, and Jean-Guy Talbot for games played at the 20th spot.

While it is optimistic to hope Gallagher plays in as many games in 2024-25, his age, gritty style of play and injury history may hinder his chances. Last year was the first season since 2018-19 in which he played over 60 games. Lucky for him, he would need to play in 49 games to tie Talbot with 801 games played as a Hab.

Gallagher has much to look forward to for this year’s campaign and this summer. He got engaged to his fiancée Emma Fortin in October 2023, and their wedding date is set for this month. After the nuptials have taken place and he refocuses on hockey, all he will do is climb the leaderboards where he rightly belongs.