Montreal Canadiens Brendan Gallagher Deservedly Wins First Molson Cup of Season

The Montreal Canadiens announced earlier today that Brendan Gallagher has won the first Molson Cup of the season. This was a well deserved nod to the Canadiens best player of October.

The Montreal Canadiens hand out the Molson Cup every month to the player who was among the three stars of the game most often. They announced today that Brendan Gallagher will have his name added to the list of winners for his strong play during the month of October.

You could argue that Gallagher should get this trophy every month with the way he plays the game and how valuable he has become to the team’s lineup. He brings a consistent effort every night that is a few notches above the effort level most players around the league can reach.

This was no different in the month of October. The Canadiens finished the month with a 7-4-2 record and are currently third in the Atlantic Division standings. A big reason they have been successful has been Gallagher’s contributions.

In the second game of the season, Montreal was trailing by three goal in the third period. Gallagher had an assist in the first period, but the Habs were down 4-1. He would score a goal that made it 4-3 and then assist on Phillip Danault’s goal that gave them a 5-4 lead. The Habs would win the game 6-5 in a shootout, but without Gallagher’s three points they would have been done after 60 minutes.

Gallagher had another three point night against the St. Louis Blues one week later. The Canadiens handed the defending Stanley Cup champions their first regulation loss with a 6-3 win. Gallagher finished the month with goals in three straight games. All told, he had seven goals and 12 points in 13 games for the month of October.

It is not just his points that make Gallagher so valuable. He is on one of the best two-way lines in hockey with Danault and Tomas Tatar. They play the most minutes of any line for the Habs every night and take on the other team’s best players. They routinely win that battle and create plenty of offence at even strength.

He will be awarded his hardware in a ceremony before the Canadiens next home game which is Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins.