French Brendan Gallagher Nick Suzuki Joel Edmundson Montreal Canadiens Habs shrinking

Is Brendan Gallagher shrinking?

Upon being passed over for the captain role, which many fans thought he deserved, #11 appears to have been taken down a notch.

At the annual Montreal Canadiens Golf Tournament in Laval-du-Lac this morning, Nick Suzuki was announced as the new Habs captain, with Brendan Gallagher and Joel Edmundson taking on the assistant (or alternate) captain roles. Gallagher has often worn the A over the course of his career with the Habs — the only NHL team he’s ever played for, since 2012. Many fans feel he should have graduated to the captain role, though few will deny Suzuki’s star power.

In the group photo posted by the team this morning, Gallagher, Suzuki and Edmundson posed together with their newly confirmed rankings on their jerseys, but something looked a bit off. Gallagher is listed as being 5’9″, only two inches shorter than Suzuki (5’11”), but the height difference appears more significant. Has he, literally/figuratively, been taken down a notch by being passed over for team captain?

If Brendan Gallagher is shrinking, he’s not admitting it. During a media availability at the golf course, Gallagher was asked whether he was disappointed.

“I’m very fortunate to have the role that I have on this team. I’m very fortunate to have been here for this many years. Disappointment isn’t one of the emotions I felt. I’m very happy for my friend Suz is fully deserving of this opportunity, he’s gonna take us to a level we need to get to. As assistant captain, my job is to support Nick, just as I did with Patch and Webs (Max Pacioretty and Shea Weber). He’s the heartbeat of our team, he’s our leader and we’re happy to follow him.”

—Brendan Gallagher

Is Brendan Gallagher shrinking?

The Montreal Canadiens season begins on Oct. 12, with exhibition games starting on Sept. 26.


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