Brendan Gallagher thanks Marc Bergevin for giving him a shot in the NHL

Following Montreal's 2-1 loss on Monday night, Brendan Gallagher met with reporters. Instead of talking about the game, he started his press conference by thanking his former General Manager Marc Bergevin for giving him a shot in the NHL.

"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 added, "He's a man I can't thank enough. The loyalty that he showed us, everything he did was to help us players have success."

Bergevin was hired as General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens in May 2012. Following the lockout, during his first training camp at the helm, he saw Gallagher crack the opening night lineup.

Last October, Bergevin signed the heart and soul of the Canadiens to a long-term deal, six years and worth $39 million. The deal Gallagher signed will keep him in a Habs uniform until he's 35 years old. During his press conference after the signing, Bergevin got emotional talking about what Gallagher means to his hockey team.

"He's a player we want," Bergevin said in October 2020. "He means a lot to our hockey team. You saw the playoff, he got crosschecked in the face and he wouldn't want to miss a shift, he didn't want to leave."

He added, "This guy is everything you want about a hockey player. That's what I love about him. There's high maintenance, middle maintenance, low maintenance and no maintenance, and that's Brendan Gallagher. He's a hockey player through his bone and that's what I love about him."

Bergevin will be missed by many within the Canadiens organization, but by no one more than Brendan Gallagher. If it wasn't for Bergevin giving Gallagher an opportunity in the 2012-13 season, who knows where he would be today.

Veteran Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher delivered a heartfelt message to ex-general manager Marc Bergevin after Monday's game.https://t.co/AXO3rJQwVq— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 30, 2021

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