Montreal Canadiens player Brendan Gallagher reveals his mom died earlier this month: 'The best mom we could have had'
Gallagher's mother, Della, died on March 8.
Montreal Canadiens player Brendan Gallagher is mourning the loss of his mother. On Wednesday, the Edmonton-born athlete took to social media to pay tribute to his mother, Della Gallagher, who died earlier this month after a 3.5-year battle with brain cancer. The 32-year-old shared a series of photos to Instagram from his childhood and his 2024 wedding, along with a heartfelt message to his late mother.
"The best mom we could have had! Grateful for all the amazing memories we have. I will cherish them and remember them always," he captioned the post. "Not a day will go by [that] I won’t want to pick up the phone and call you, or give you a big hug tell you I love you. But we will all charge on with everything you taught us making you proud every single day. Rest in peace mom, I love you. I miss you. Forever the best mom."
Gallagher said it had been a "tough week" in a post-game interview following Wednesday's win over the Ottawa Senators. Gallagher shared that his mother died on March 8, while the Canadiens were in Calgary. His family lives in British Columbia, so he was able to spend time with his loved ones prior to the team's March 11 game against the Canucks.
"It’s been emotional. I’m just really proud of her and her fight and her courage...," he said. "Everything I am is from her, it's a special relationship. She will be missed, but she's with us every day and there won't be a day I won't think of her."
Della was diagnosed with stage 4 Gioblastoma, an advanced form of brain cancer after suffering a seizure while driving in August 2021. Gallagher helped support his family while Della went to the U.S. to receive treatment that wasn't available in Canada.
The right winger hadn't missed a game following his mother's death and shared that her funeral had taken place March 19.
When asked how his mom had impacted his career as an athlete, Gallagher replied, "Nobody's here without their mom... . My mom was very competitive herself. She loved everything about sport… That never left her… we lost the biggest link of our family."
Days before Della's death, Gallagher announced in a March 5 interview that he and his wife, Emma Fortin, had welcomed their first child.
Earlier this week, the couple shared a photo of their daughter to social media and announced that her name, Everly Mona Della Gallagher, is in honour of her grandmothers.
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