Tears for Brendan Gallagher as he opens up on what comes next in his career

The Montreal Canadiens’ locker room cleanout day on Monday turned into a deeply emotional moment for veteran forward Brendan Gallagher, drawing strong reactions from fans of the franchise.

While most players offered routine end-of-season reflections, Gallagher’s media availability took a different turn when he became visibly overwhelmed speaking to reporters.

The 32-year-old, who has been out of action since May 3 in a playoff game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, struggled to hold back emotion as he reflected on personal memories and support from within the team.

“Sorry,” he said while becoming emotional. “I’m very fortunate.”

After a pause, Gallagher continued but again struggled to maintain composure as he spoke about his late mother and the support he received from teammates during that period.

“I just had a thought about my mom,” he said. “And I thought about how my teammates supported me through that.”

An emotional Brendan Gallagher confirms that he will be moving on from the Habs pic.twitter.com/ffBwEPDwdy

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) June 1, 2026

He eventually stepped away from the media session early, visibly shaken, asking for a moment to collect himself before ending his availability. The moment quickly circulated online, underlining the emotional weight of the day for both Gallagher and the Canadiens organization.