Brendan Gallagher is walking into Vancouver with the kind of reputation Canucks fans have been craving.
The 34-year-old forward is about to start his 15th NHL season, and for the first time, it won’t be in a Montreal Canadiens sweater. Gallagher was traded to the Vancouver Canucks over the summer, and he’s already making his presence felt before training camp even gets rolling.
On the 100% Canucks Podcast with John Shannon over the weekend, Gallagher said he has already spent time around some of his new teammates and likes what he’s seen.
“From what I’ve seen here, this is a great group,” Gallagher said. “I’ve been here for a couple of weeks now.
Guys are super involved with each other. We’ve been planning stuff and hanging out, and we’re having fun.
“I think this is an awesome group. A group that wants to be here and is going to have a lot of fun playing together.”
That kind of early chemistry is exactly what Vancouver supporters want to hear after a couple of seasons defined by noise, tension and plenty of drama. Gallagher, an Edmonton native who has built a long career as a respected locker-room voice, doesn’t sound worried about the environment he’s joining.
He also said he spent part of the weekend golfing with some of his teammates, another small sign that the group is already trying to build something before the real grind begins.
For Gallagher, culture isn’t some buzzword to toss around in September. He’s seen what good teams look like, and he’s seen the opposite, too.
“I’ve played on teams where you recognize that you have a great culture. I’ve played on teams where you recognize that you don’t have it,” Gallagher said.
“Everyone has to have a job; everyone has to know their role. Everyone has to show up, do their job, but you have to enjoy it.
“I don’t think culture is something that you ever stop working on and growing. I think you need to have a foundation, and I think it needs to grow from there.”
He also pointed to the energy already around this Canucks group. With a new coaching staff set to take over the bench once again, players have been arriving early and making an effort to get familiar with one another before camp starts. Gallagher said that matters, especially over the course of a long season.
“If you’re going to go through a grind of a season, you’re going to have great moments, but you’re going to have tough moments,” Gallagher said. “You’re going to have stretches where you’ve lost a couple in a row, and you’re coming to the rink and, you know, you want to be friends.
“You want to be getting through this stuff together, and you build that early.”
It’s shaping up to be a season full of change in Vancouver. The Canucks are hoping that change comes with a lot less off-ice chaos, and Gallagher looks like he’ll be right in the middle of that effort.
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