One thing we know about the Montreal Canadiens this season is that they don’t play well with a lead. Taking on Patrick Roy and the New York Islanders on Thursday night, they built up a 3-0 lead, the worst kind of lead for them, in the very first period. Though they predictably blew that lead, they found a way to win in the end, thanks to a timely third-period goal from Sean Monahan. But they won’t be without casualty from that game, as the main reason they blew their lead could also see them lose a regular roster player for an unknown amount of games.
I’m referring of course to Brendan Gallagher, who is unlikely to walk away from this hit without a suspension.
As a fan of the sport, this is difficult to watch. There is no reason to swing the elbow back like this, particularly with the puck already well gone. Gallagher accomplishes no legitimate hockey purpose with this play, as Adam Pelech’s pass was already completed. All he did was cause a potentially serious brain injury to his opponent, and potentially sideline himself for some time as a result. This is precisely the kind of hit that needs to be eradicated from the game.
It is harder to watch as a Habs fan, because Gallagher, for all of his negative reputation as a net-front menace, does not have a history of illegal hits. This isn’t something we expect to see from a leader on the Canadiens roster. Still, this kind of hit can’t go unpunished by the league, so it would be a huge surprise if he doesn’t at least have to sit a few games for this indiscretion.
And he didn’t just hurt Adam Pelech with that hit, he dealt a significant blow to his own teammates in the process. The major penalty he received for the hit led directly to two goals for the Islanders, tying the game and blowing a lead for the Habs in an entirely new way. If not for Monahan’s heroics, Gallagher could very well have directly cost his team a fourth-straight loss with his dirty hit. Simply put, he has to be smarter than that as a leader on this team.
Hopefully this is just a blip on the radar for Gallagher, and he can return from a well-deserved suspension to never commit something like this again. These hits have no place in the game, and he’s not the kind of player that would normally be guilty of them.
In the unlikely event that he deals a hit like that again, the suspensions are likely to grow exponentially in length.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back on Saturday night, as the Habs will hit the road and take on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
