Play ball

MONTREAL – Supporting the health and well-being of kids is a cause that means a lot to Brendan Gallagher.

In that spirit, the Canadiens’ No. 11 will be leading the charge to raise funds and awareness for the Shriners Hospital for Children – Canada – which just happens to be based in Montreal – by hosting his second annual Celebrity Softball Classic on Saturday, August 13th at Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver. In 2015, the event raised over $15,000.

Gallagher will once again be joined by a slew of fellow NHL stars, including teammates Nathan Beaulieu and Shea Weber, Milan Lucic, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mark Scheifele, Josh Gorges, Morgan Rielly, Brandon Prust, Sam Reinhart, and Lance Bouma, along with former pros Paul Reinhart, Dave Babych, and Kyle Wellwood, among others.

With 22 locations across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, Shriners Hospitals for Children provide assistance in the areas of orthopaedics, burn care, spinal cord injury, and cleft lip and palate reconstruction – regardless of a family’s ability to cover the necessary medical costs. And, it currently represents the largest pediatric hospital network in the world.

“It’s good for me to be able to get the opportunity to do this. You’re doing it all for a good cause. I get to go to the Shriners to see the kids a few times a year with it being in Montreal. You understand the situations they’re in and it puts things into perspective. You want to do anything you can to help,” said Gallagher, who is eagerly anticipating the contest at the home of the Toronto Blue Jays’ Class A affiliate – the Vancouver Canadians. “I’ve always had a soft spot for children’s charities. I …

continue reading in source canadiens.nhl.com