“I’m one of his biggest fans,” Lachance told LNH.com, the League’s North American French-language site. “I realized that this jersey didn’t really belong to me anymore after the death of his mother. It’s a memento for him, it’s his to claim. I wanted to offer it to him.”
Lachance first acquired the jersey via the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation auction back on Nov. 19, 2022 after the team hosted its annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night.
“It’s a unique jersey because it’s the last time that the Canadiens wore the purple and white jerseys for Hockey Fights Cancer,” Lachance told LNH.com. “There was a big snowball effect, a ton of people reposted my tweet… Friday morning, Brendan wrote me to tell me that he wanted to give me his jersey in exchange. I also got a message from the Canadiens. They gave me two tickets for the last game of the season, where the players give their jerseys to fans.”
Normally, a lottery determines which fans will receive jerseys from Canadiens players, but the team wanted to reward Lachance’s kind gesture. On April 16, after the final home game of the season for Montreal, she will be invited on to the ice to exchange jerseys with Gallagher.
In a game against the New York Islanders on Thursday, Gallagher scored the tying goal in the third period to send it to overtime. After the goal, Gallagher put a hand to his heart in honor of Della. He spoke publicly about his mother’s passing for the first time before that game.
“She was incredible,” said Gallagher told reporters. “I’m proud of her and of the battle she fought. Her bravery, too. We lost the biggest link of our family. She did so much for us. Everything I am is from her, it’s a special relationship.
“Hockey is my safe place. When I’m on the ice, that’s when it all goes away. It’s kinda been the thing that’s helped me get through it.”
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