Montreal Canadiens veteran forward opens up about unthinkable family tragedy

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Sam Hutch
March 16, 2024 (2:34 PM)

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Some things are way more important than hockey, even when your job is to play in the National Hockey League, family is one of those things. A couple of weeks ago, tragedy struck Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher and his family as his sister announced that their mother is battling a rare form of brain cancer, which she been battling for some time, but he has largely remained silent.

Now, Gallagher has broken his silence, sitting down with Sportsnet's Eric Engels to discuss the terrible tragedy his family is currently dealing with.

Nearly 31 months after being diagnosed with brain cancer, Brendan Gallagher's mother, Della, is punching back as hard as she ever has.

And through her courageous fight, she's inspiring Brendan in unprecedented ways. (@EricEngels)

Gallagher mentions the the toll dealing with this has taken on everything, even his play on the ice

I've struggled with it at times,» he said. «Especially the first year, there were some tough times.

I think having (fiancée) Emma at home is huge for me, being able to talk to her. Especially being away from the family � you call back as much as you can, but it's been tough.

Gallagher also mentions Canadiens head coach Martin St Louis has been a big support and has checked in on how he's doing regularly as well as shared his experience with this type of family tragedy.

I hope Gallagher and his family are okay and his mom continues this courageous fight.