Tuesday was an emotional return for Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour.
It had little to do with the lower-body injury that made Montour a game-time decision whether he would even be in the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings.
The mood in the Kraken dressing room after the game was decidedly more subdued than normal after a victory, in this case a 4-3 shootout win over the Red Wings to open a four game homestand.
It had little to do with Seattle blowing a 3-0 lead in the final 14 minutes, or giving up the tying goal to Alex DeBrincat with 17 seconds left. The Kraken needed shootout goals from Freddy Gaudreau and Bobby McMann to secure the W.
Kraken Defenseman Earns The Bucket
“This guy missed one game but didn’t skip a beat,” teammate Ville Ottavainen said in awarding the Jofa helmet “player of the game” to Montour.
It was only partly because Montour skated a team-high 30:44 on a team-high 29 shifts, and scored the third Seattle goal.
Or that the 32-year-old blueliner was all over the stat sheet: three shots, one hit, one block, and a plus-2.
Coach Lane Lambert alluded to what was really going on in his postgame remarks to the team. “Monty, tough day for you. Big goal. Looking down on you, buddy, (Cameron) was.”
Sad Anniversary
Brandon’s older brother, Cameron Montour, died at age 34 on Oct. 20, 2025. Cameron had been suffering from the terrible, degenerative nervous system disease ALS for the prior four years.
Image at left: Cam Montour and family from a GoFundMe page.
At the time of Cameron’s death, Brandon Montour stepped away from the team for four games to support his extended family.
“It was a rough week,” Montour said when he returned. “I’m very proud, very happy to be his brother. He’s somebody I’ve looked up to since day one. He was a great son, brother, best friend, and father.”
He added with a wistful smile that Cameron was “probably smiling and chirping me up there, but I love him.”
Tuesday was the one year anniversary of Cameron’s death, something Montour addressed in brief remarks to the team.
“Like Lane said, it’s been a year since my brother has been gone. Obviously, nobody really knew that. It’s always nice when you get a win, so I appreciate that. Let’s keep this homestand going.”
That’s what it was all about.
BONUS VIDEO: Kraken-Red Wings recap with a special Hockey Hall of Fame guest:
