Habs Players Go All Out For Charity

As hard as it is for Habs fans in summer off-season, it has to be harder for the players, whose lives are defined not only by their career but by their passion for the game of hockey.

But though they have earned the time off, and no one begrudges them that, they continue to show their hearts to fans and causes that they believe in. Coming up in the next few weeks, we will get news from the Canadiens’ annual golf tournament in which they raise funds for the Montreal Canadiens’ Children’s Foundation.

But during the summer, players from the Montreal Canadiens find ways in which to give of their hearts to those in need. Here are several examples of how they’ve reached out, given to those less fortunate, and continued to demonstrate their noble character this summer.

Brendan Gallagher’s 1st Annual Celebrity Softball Classic



Born in Edmonton, growing up in BC, Gallagher was drafted by the Vancouver Giants in the WHL at the age of 16. He played four seasons with the Giants, 2008 through 2012, registering 31, 81, 91 and 77 points respectively.

With a house in Tsawwassen, B.C., he spends much of his summers back out west. This summer, he organized a softball game in Vancouver, the 1st Annual Celebrity Softball Classic, held August 12th. This event would feature big names such as teammates Alex Galchenyuk and Nathan Beaulieu, as well as others from the hockey world. The proceeds from the game were to benefit Shriners Hospital for Children – Canada. Gallagher has visited the Shriners Hospital in Montreal (where the funds were directed, as it is currently the only hospital operating in Canada). His experiences meeting young patients over the years were what propelled him in organizing, and then playing in the game.

“First and foremost, I’m in a unique position where I can do something like this. It’s a chance to get out and have fun at the Nat but at the same time do a really good thing for some really deserving people, the Shriners Hospital for Children,” he said . “I really respect the work they do.”

After the game, he was asked about the cause.

I’m really impressed at the work being done by the Shriners and their commitment to kids. At first, I wasn’t sure how things would turn out for the event, but so many people came out to support us. I was really pleased with how it went.

As a child, Gallagher’s siblings were both admitted to a hospital for the same illness; he has distant memories of being sent to his grandparents.

“I remember as a young kid it was pretty scary,” he said . “Something stuck with me. When kids are so young and go through something so serious, it’s important to have resource to deal with it.”

He, however, was not as stellar as the event itself. He described his turn at bat:

“We had some members of Canada’s national women’s softball team come out for the game,” noted Gallagher. “They brought out a pitcher (Sara Groenewegen) and right away I know I’m in trouble. The first one, a fastball, goes whizzing by and I’m not even close. Then, I get a nasty change-up. I think I just closed my eyes and hoped for the best. Third pitch, it’s a fastball. Again, I wasn’t even close – swing and a miss.”

Here is video of Gallagher in action (or trying to be, at least):

(Ouch)

But it was a successful day, and besides Galchenyuk and Beaulieu, the celebrities included :

A fan of Gallagher’s tweeted this photo from the game. Kudos to him for the efforts, and we look forward to this new annual event.

And Michael Buble at bat:

#NEW | Michael Buble ~ Brendan Gallagher Shriners Hospital for Kids Charity Baseball Game (12.08.2015) pic.twitter.com/331WkJtyLz — Kristen Vicky (@HQCelebrity1) August 14, 2015

Beaulieu also got some conditioning in while he was at Gallagher’s softball event; working with Ian Gallagher – Brendan’s dad, a strength-and-conditioning coach for the Vancouver Giants.

Supporting Megan

Another recent community outreach event, organized by Habs’ Nathan Beaulieu, took place on August 16, in London, Ontario. The cause was to raise money for Megan Woodiwiss, a 21-year-old who was paralyzed in February when her car was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer.

Megan is undergoing extensive – and expensive – treatment to help her in her recovery, and when Beaulieu heard about it, he organized a charity hockey game.

“It’s an expensive process for a family. The cost, and the time, and driving to London, and all over the place just to get treatment and therapy,” said Beaulieu. “I just want to give a little token, and hopefully help them out a little bit.”

The event included a silent auction and autograph session prior to the game, and Habs teammates Brendan Gallagher, Dustin Tokarski and Devante Smith-Pelly, as well as Florida Panthers forward Dave Bolland, showed up to help out.

Tickets were sold out weeks before the event, but fans unable to attend the game still showed up for the silent auction. Beaulieu tweeted his thanks to his teammates and the attendees, after the event.

Megan came from her hometown, Strathroy (where the accident occurred), a 40-minute drive from London, and attended the game:

Megan Woodiwis (left) & friends @ the Nathan Beaulieu benefit hockey game @ Western Fair District arena today pic.twitter.com/jWqsVueP37 — CTV London (@CTVLondon) August 16, 2015

Beaulieu didn’t want the day only to be about money:

Beaulieu said the real goal of this event is to show Megan she isn’t alone, and that the whole community has her back. “It’s not necessarily all about spending your money on the auction, but just being there for a family that is need right now, and just come out and enjoy what you can,” he said. “If you can donate that would be great, if not, show your support and come with a smile in your face. “I would just like to see support from the community and help (Megan) forget about what’s going one for a moment.” “It’s going to be a fun day,” he added.

It was more than fun – it was extremely successful:

@CTVLondon organizers say $61000 raised to help out Megan's recovery — CTV London (@CTVLondon) August 18, 2015

This is a staggering amount of money, but not surprising. Those who follow NHL players know that they do what they can to give to communities and people in need, and fans – inspired by these heartfelt efforts – come through in big ways.

Beaulieu talked about how he and Gallagher participated in each other’s events:

That’s what we agreed on. It’s always nice to see teammates, and they’re both great causes. It was pretty easy decision for both of us.

An EyeSore

Saving this for last – perhaps to keep my readers from instantly turning away from the story after seeing the photo…

Patrice Bergeron, of the Boston Bruins, held a charity event recently as well. And he’s known as a guy with a big heart – which I don’t doubt. No matter how we feel about their teams, there are many players from rival teams who do incredible things for charities.

Here’s why this story is relevant: in his event, held together with Simon Gagne, Bergeron had – as is typical – invited celebrities participate in the game.

And we all know this guy – one of the celebrities in a Bruins jersey:

#Habs David Desharnais dons a #Bruins jersey at Patice Bergeron/Simonn Gagne charity event pic.twitter.com/MlFR56RXib — Dominic Tiano (@dominictiano) August 14, 2015

Twitter reaction was visceral, as one might imagine; for example:

@dominictiano omg… Even as a joke this is a nightmare — Jason GA (@SuperBergy) August 14, 2015

And this one, which pretty much sums it all up:

@dominictiano @HabsLinks I m sorry but this is not ok. — shawn harding (@shawnhar24) August 20, 2015

What’s interesting about this is that in researching this story, I was unable to find any information about Bergeron’s charity, the event, the attendees, the celebrities (outside of Desharnais) or how much was raised.

The headlines all screamed “Patrice Bergeron Works Miracles!” – and they were talking about the Habs-in-a-Bruins-jersey feat.

No, we will not lose DD to the Bruins. No, Bergeron cannot “convert anyone to the black and gold, like turning water into wine.”

Come the autumn, and on into the winter and beyond, if need be, we will see Desharnais back in the bleu-blanc-rouge, helping the Habs to defeat the Bruins. Again. Repeatedly.

I hope I haven’t lost you, dear readers; but in the life of a writer, we all have to report even that which is unpleasant. Take heart, Habs fans. The Rivalry is alive and well. And the photo above is only a moment in time. We can tip our hats to DD for his participation in what I’m sure was a worthy cause.

Let’s turn to pleasant thoughts again: Hockey Season is around the corner, Habs players have been busy making a difference throughout the summer, and we will soon be cheering the team on in games, battles, victories and what promises to be a highly successful season.