After the Montreal Canadiens lost 2-1 to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night, Brendan Gallagher didn't open his press conference talking about the game.
Instead, he delivered a heartfelt message to former Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin.
It was Bergevin who took a chance on Gallagher in the 2010 NHL Draft with the 147th overall pick. Since then, Gallagher has been a mainstay on the Canadiens, playing 604 games, recording 191 goals and 176 assists. Gallagher played a critical role in leading the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final last season.
"Probably not a lot of general managers that would want to keep an undersized fifth-round pick around," Gallagher said. "He gave me a shot."
Gallagher spoke highly about the conversations Bergevin had with the entire team and the actions behind the scenes that didn't always get the spotlight.
"He's a man I can't thank enough," Gallagher said. "The loyalty that he showed us, everything he did was to help us players have success."
The Canadiens relieved Bergevin of his GM duties on Sunday. Canadiens owner Geoff Molson named Jeff Gorton as the team's new executive vice president of hockey operations.
