For more than three years, Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher had honored his mother, Della, in her fight against brain cancer, especially during the NHL's annual Hockey Fights Cancer events. In 2022, Gallagher wore a purple Canadiens sweater during warmups with a simple message written on its patch: "I Fight For Mom."

NHL teams host a "Hockey Fights Cancer" night each season that used to involve players taking the ice in special warmup jerseys that were usually

Gallagher said his mother had been fighting brain cancer for three-and-a-half years after originally being given only six-to-18 months to live. He said she died on March 8 while t