Playing in the Canadian’s organization is something to be extremely proud of and for local Delta product Brendan Gallagher, it’s a dream come true.
This given the fact he can’t speak any French, which no doubt will change.
He grew up in Edmonton and moved to Delta in 2004, which was his grade 8 year he continued his hockey, like fish to water.
When everything transferred over he failed to take any language class. At one point his Mother remarked “what happens if you end up playing with the Canadians” and like a typical youngster he replied “Come on Mom. ”His career saw him move up the ladder and eventually play with the Vancouver Giants.
Gallagher returned to what he calls home or at least to Abbotsford to have his Bulldogs play the high flying Abbotsford Heat.
Gallagher was drafted by the Canadians in the 5th round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, where he played deep into the pre-season.
As a 20 year old he seems comfortable in Montreal and managed to put on 12 plus pounds over the summer and is currently listed at 5’9”, 182 lbs.
He currently leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 10 points, with 6 goals in 16 games.
He plays his typical style of hockey which is ‘on the edge and aggressive”, but it seems to work. Through 18 games he sits with 6 goals and 5 assists.
His return to the area saw Family and Friends attend the game plus spend the time to allow us an interview for Delta TV, which we appreciated.
This was made possible with the assistance of the Bulldogs play-by-play Derek Wills.
The Heat brought out the “guns” and had a special appearance with Yvan Cournoyer, who was known as the “Road Runner”. He joined the Canadians in 1964-65 and retired in 1979 with an impressive amount of stats.
He scored 25 or more goals 12 consecutive times in his career, His best years were in the 1970ties when he had two 40 plus goal seasons. Yvan Cournoyer is still considered to be the best right wingers of the seventies.
In 16 seasons he established himself as one of the premier forwards in the NHL, scoring 428 goals and 435 assists through 968 games.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982.
He is a fan favourite where ever he goes and does several special appearances, and the fans come out in droves to see him – all wearing a Montreal sweater.
Gallagher (while small) knows he has lots of work ahead of him and is up for the challenge.
While this game did not prove to be a success as the Heat thumped the Bulldogs, it’s only one game for the “testy’ winger who sports # 17.
The Heat continue to play outstanding hockey and are strongly committed to the community and attend numerous functions weekly.
