Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher praises Marc Bergevin

Article content

After the Canadiens lost 2-1 to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night at the Bell Center, Brendan Gallagher was asked what he thought about former general manager Marc Bergevin, who was fired on Sunday.

Article content

Gallagher responded with a response that lasted more than two minutes.

“First of all, I know he issued a statement thanking almost everyone. “ Gallagher said. “But from my point of view, he is a man I cannot thank enough for. I’ve been with him for about a decade. I got to my freshman year in the league, there probably aren’t many GMs who would have wanted to keep an undersized fifth-round pick that he really had no connection to. But he gave me a chance and since then he has always been someone I could count on. Whether you’re fighting on the ice or off the ice, he was someone you could have a real conversation with. He was someone who didn’t matter when he spoke or you spoke to him, listened and really cared. His only goal, every move he made over a decade was to help us players succeed on ice and give us a chance to win, and that’s something I can’t thank him for enough.

Article content

“We had some really good seasons, we had some tough seasons around here,” Gallagher added, barely pausing to take a breath during his response. “We always follow those difficult seasons with solutions because he was able to sit there and gather our opinions and he really trusted us and he really listened to us. He was just someone you could count on. And when you think about what he did here for nine and a half years, first of all, that’s an achievement in itself in this market. Not many CEOs can say that. But we had some really good competitive teams. He did a conference final, he made it to a Stanley Cup final and, like I said, he is someone who cannot be thanked enough. The passion he showed, I know you could see some of his speeches, we understood it a lot. It meant a lot to us as players. The loyalty he showed us, all he did was help us players succeed. I know from our point of view that every time I get a chance to see it I’ll be sure to say it. But I hope everyone in this city understands how much he cared about this organization, how much he cared about this team. Looking forward, I hope you know how much we appreciate it. “

Article content

There is no doubt that Bergevin will appreciate Gallagher’s response.

Pierre Gauthier was the team’s general manager when the Canadiens selected Gallagher in the fifth round (147 total) of the 2010 NHL Draft. Bergevin took over as general manager two years later and was in charge when Gallagher made his debut. in the NHL in 2012.

“He’s someone I trust and I know he’s someone who obviously cares about us as individual players,” Gallagher said of Bergevin. “He wanted us to be successful, but he also wanted us to be happy off the ice. You didn’t hear much of that, many of the things that happened. There are difficult moments as players that you go through and he was always someone who whenever I needed to chat, he was always there and he was real, he was honest. It always seemed to be the right thing to say or the right thing to hear. He always helped me find my game or helped me get off the ice. Whatever it was, it was someone I could always count on. It is a relationship that we will continue to have in the future. “

It was Bergevin who signed Gallagher to a six-year, $ 39 million contract extension last year that kicked off this season. During his press conference to announce the signing, Bergevin almost burst into tears twice as he talked about what Gallagher means to the Canadiens.

“This guy is everything you want from a hockey player,” Bergevin said at the time. “That’s what I love about him. There aren’t many Brendan Gallaghers in the National Hockey League. Is special. You love him on your team and you play against him, you just don’t like him. He is special. … He’s a hockey player through and through and that’s what I love about him. “

Article content

Gallagher still remembers that day.

“It meant a lot,” he said of Bergevin’s reaction. “First of all, I know you guys know a little bit, but it was quite an intense negotiation. I wasn’t on those phone calls, but between my agent and the team. He is a great negotiator and everyone who has been through that says the same. There were some ups and downs with that too. One thing I really appreciated was in the middle where it seemed like maybe he was going off the rails a bit. Berg called me and we just had a chat and discussed what was going on. Those are the things that can sometimes get lost in translation when the agent deals with the direction. Berg just called me and we talked about it. Those are things that I don’t think many players have the opportunity to have.

Article content

“I can’t thank you enough,” Gallagher added. “It meant a lot, but I was very aware of how much he cared about us and me and it was definitely reciprocated with him. … I am very grateful to have been able to play with him as my boss for almost a decade. You know he’s going to do great things. You will have another chance here because you deserve it. We are grateful for the work he did. “

Ready for a rebuild?

Canadiens owner / president Geoff Molson said Monday he’s willing to consider a rebuild if that’s what Jeff Gorton, the new executive vice president of hockey operations, and whoever the next general manager is, thinks it is. the best thing to do in the future.

“I’m not afraid of that word and I think our fans won’t be afraid of it either,” Molson said.

Article content

But at 29, that’s a word Gallagher might be afraid to hear.

“This is my 10th season now,” Gallagher said when asked about the possibility of a rebuild and if he would like to be there. “I have always come with the expectation of winning. I felt like my teammates had the same goal, I felt like management had the same goal, and sometimes organizations go through those things. I guess those are conversations that they should probably have in the future. But for me, I play this game to win. It really is the only way I can enjoy it.

“You don’t always have to win every game, but the important thing is that I need to feel like we are trying to win,” added Gallagher. “I need to feel that it is important. If that’s the decision you want to make, these are probably conversations you need to have in the future. But for now, it’s not something I’ve given much thought to. I still feel that this is an organization that I love very much… that I probably won’t be strong enough with it. I love this city, I love everything about it. … It would definitely be a tough decision and, like I said, a must have conversation. But I love being here and that’s the first and foremost thing. “

[email protected]

twitter.com/StuCowan1