When you look at the pictures of Alex Galcheyuk insulting him and threatening to kill him, the police officer who had just arrested him is unspeakably sad. Just like the ones that show him sitting on the floor with his hands tied and his face scratched, and then the ones that were filmed a few moments later where we see him in a cell.
They are because they bear witness to the downfall of a boy who would have needed his family’s help to navigate the life of a professional athlete and the pressure that comes with being a first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens.
Recently released body camera footage captured by Scottsdale police officers shows the interaction they had with Alex Galchenyuk after he and his father were stopped by officers. pic.twitter.com/N57qANeoEe
— TheValleyUncensored (@Uncensored53173) November 8, 2023
Quite the opposite happened. Upon his arrival in Montreal, he was given the task of providing for the family’s needs. Whether dad Alexander, mom Inna or Anna, his big sister Alex became the family’s breadwinner when he signed his first contract with the Habs. He looked after himself in Florida, where the Galchenyuk clan spent their summers.
As for the pressure, it’s much harder to endure than being booed by fans or being asked by journalists every two days whether he prefers playing on the wing or in the center.
By the way, in the six seasons I’ve covered him, Galchenyuk has never said one word over another and never thrown a tantrum. It happens that sometimes we feel irritable or irritable, but it is normal for everyone’s nerves to be tense when things are not necessarily going smoothly. It is said that he was even well respected by his teammates.
The influence of the father
Do you want examples of the influence of the family, especially the father, on the young man?
– His ubiquity at every training session, even at the Bell Centre;
– His habit of texting him between periods of games to make corrections (so much so that Therrien asked one of his assistants to make sure Galchenyuk immediately went to his teammates in the locker room instead of taking the time to be phone to check);
– His unhealthy interference in contract negotiations that led to the divorce between Alex and Igor Larionov, his agent at the time.
Additionally, the fact that his father, a former player in the defunct International League, was hired as an assistant coach of the Sarnia Sting at the start of his son’s second season in the junior ranks might have alarmed Sarnia Sting officials Canadian.
But the young man’s talent came from his ears. At age 16, he collected 83 points in 68 games during his rookie season in Sarnia. Not to mention that, similar to 2022, when Canadian Juraj Slafkovsky was selected first overall, the 2012 vintage had nothing exceptional to offer.
We can therefore understand that the Habs have targeted the young American. Plus, you don’t make it to the NHL at 18 by being a piece of celery.
The family business
There’s also this shady company, Galchenyuk Business Enterprises, which looks more like a ghost company than a real family business expert in sports marketing and management, as his sister describes it.
A company apparently co-founded by Anna Galchenyuk. Let’s just put it this way: all these years, she seemed far more preoccupied with taking care of her figure on Instagram than with business matters.
Galchenyuk needed help. Last July, after these sad events, he sought help and joined the NHL and Players’ Association Addiction Assistance Program.
Before he got to this point, he would have needed the help of his family members.
Poor boy.