It was an incredibly special night as the Montreal Canadiens clinched the last Eastern Conference wildcard spot. In a dramatic do-or-die match against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Habs pulled through. “To me, it means a lot,” said Captain Nick Suzuki as his team beat the Canes 4-2. Nothing could be more special for Brendan Gallagher & Co. finally clinching that spot, right? Well, not quite.

You see, while the Canadiens making the playoffs was a special moment that signified the “rebuild” is working, a heartfelt moment became another highlight of the night. Gallagher, who lost his mother to brain cancer on March 8, finally received the special jersey he wrote to honor her in 2022. A moment over a month in the making, it moved the fans inside Center Bell to tears.

“Anyone else have tears in their eyes watching this beautiful exchange?” a fan commented on Gino Hard’s clip of Brendan Gallagher meeting Canadiens fan Lucie Lachance on the ice. In an instance of pure hockey magic, Lachance reached out to her favorite hockey winger on March 21. Lachance offered Gallagher a special jersey he may have thought he would never see again.

“Dear @BGALLY17 I feel like this jersey should belong to you. You wore it in warm-up 2022 just before they stop making those. So this is very unique, like your mom was. If you want it, it’s definitely for you to keep as a memory jersey!” the fan wrote, tagging the NHL star. Moved by the incredible gesture from the fan, the 32-year-old ice hockey veteran accepted her offer.

“That is incredibly kind of you, thoughtful, and really appreciated!!” the hockey player replied. However, he also promised not to leave Lachance empty-handed. Instead of simply taking the jersey, Brendan Gallagher offered a jersey swap on April 16. So the pair exchanged one game-worn jersey for another. Meanwhile, fans hailed the gesture as the example of what the love for hockey was all about.

A truly special jersey for Brendan Gallagher

“In this house, we love Gallagher forever,” one fan commented in all caps, cheering in support of the fan favorite Canadiens. And it’s easy to see why fans felt that way. The winger thanked Lachance by not just giving her his Canadiens vs. Hurricanes jersey, but his autograph and signing two hockey pucks, before taking the Hockey Fights Cancer jersey.

The Habs fan also went above and beyond for Brendan Gallagher. She brought him the special jersey, neatly folded and inside a gift box. And why wouldn’t she? Besides the design getting refreshed, and wearing it when his mother was fighting cancer, Gallagher had added a personal touch on the special jersey. Each Hockey Fights Cancer jersey has a special ‘I fight for’ tag that the players can fill.

The ice hockey player wrote “MOM” in that black space. That alone makes it the most special jersey the Habs winger ever donned, and now Lachance has returned it. “No doubt that hockey has the best fans,” one netizen proclaimed, watching the player and fan share the heartwarming exchange on the ice. Meanwhile, Bell Center erupted in cheer all around the duo.

Another fan agreed, citing the fan’s selfless gesture when she could’ve kept the unique merch all to herself. “The notion of her offering the jersey in the first place is awesome, but kudos to the team for actually making it happen!” commented the fan, thanking the Canadiens for making it happen. While the jersey swap would’ve happened either way, Brendan Gallagher’s team helped to bring it to fruition.

“As violent as this game can get, man, where else do you get wholesome stories like this?!?!” the fan asked, highlighting the intense passion hockey fans have for the games and the players they love. The statement found even more weight as the clip showed the entire stadium chanting “Gally”, while the Habs player embraced Lucie Lachance for the final time.

The emotional moment moved even their rival fan base. The Maple Leafs fans who tuned in to watch both their rivals square off before the Battle of Ontario in the NHL playoffs didn’t expect to watch such emotional scenes unravel. “Leafs fan, but my goodness, this franchise understands its place in the community. This was nice to see,” commented one fan, giving Brendan Gallagher and the Montreal Canadiens their due respect.

Meanwhile, the fact that his team made it to the playoffs tonight, of all nights, only made things more memorable. While the winger had planned the exchange for April 16th, he had no idea it would also mark the end of their wildcard chase. “I mean, feels like forever ago. But what I will say is, as a group, our belief starts with Marty,” the Habs star said about the game and his coach.

“This doesn’t happen without his belief. It’s amazing how he gets guys to buy into his message,” added Brendan Gallagher, about HC Martin St. Louis taking them all the way to the playoffs.

The gesture made us believe that someone was chopping onions nearby. What did you think of the special night for Brendan Gallagher and Montreal? Tell us in the comments.