Known by many fans as well as his peers as one tough customer, Brett Gallant of the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers has never shied away from dropping the gloves.  Even in his own back yard.

“Every winter my father would build a rink in the back yard.  I’ve got friends at home who still talk about what happened back then,” reminisced Gallant.  “I used to wear braces and one time, as things were getting a bit physical, my older brother hit me pretty good and my braces went through my lip.  I had an older buddy there who pulled my lip through the braces and I still wanted to go again!  We had a lot of fun for sure.”

Brett isn’t the only member of the Gallant family with roots in hockey.  His two brothers, Alex and Bradley, have both enjoyed success in the game at the major junior and minor professional levels.  Similarly enough, all three brothers have embraced the role of enforcer.  

“I ended up playing three seasons against my older brother Bradley in major junior hockey.  He was an enforcer too.  I never got to play with my younger brother, but he plays hard and has had plenty of fights.  It’s in the family bloodlines and the three of us have always battled it out hard, but we are all really close.” 

Battling hard no matter whether it’s a friend or foe is something that makes Gallant a tough player to play against; an important attribute when recent fights include enforcers Joel Rechlicz and Eric Neilson.  

“No one wants to fight a buddy but it does happen.  I’ve fought friends this year already and its just part of the hockey game.  I’m friends with Eric Neilson, I know him pretty well.  He’s a good hockey player, he knows his role, and does it really well.  I have a lot of respect for him.  We were visiting his team in Syracuse and down 2-0, and we needed a spark.  Eric and I lined up, I asked him to go.  He knew what I was doing and he still went with me.  There are no hard feelings, we battled it out pretty good and that was the end.“

WATCH: Brett Gallant vs Eric Neilson

Fighting in hockey is a subject that has become a heated debate in recent years, something that Gallant knows a lot about.  “Fighting is still there and as far as I’m concerned I think it always will be.  As far as the AHL goes, the rules are still the same but they’re beginning to change, like taking your helmet off is a penalty.”

While many people argue that fighting should remain part of the game, Gallant adds that having more skill is a necessity in today’s professional leagues.  “The way the leagues are going, the tough guy who just sits on the bench and doesn’t play much isn’t useful.  Teams want a guy who can play minutes, so I have to work on my individual game to get better.  We have some great coaches in Bridgeport who are helping me become a better player.  For me, my dream is to play in the NHL.”

With his goal to make the NHL in mind, Gallant was invited to join in the New York Islanders training camp prior to the 2013-14 season.  “I got a few games in with the Islanders and it was an awesome experience.  I got to play against a lot of great players and it was valuable to see what an everyday NHL player does to be that good of a hockey player.”

During a preseason game with the Islanders, Gallant squared off against New Jersey’s Krys Barch in what was a much talked about fight.  In a new NHL rule, fighters who remove their helmets receive an extra two-minute penalty, however these two fighters found a loophole.  “There are new rules in the NHL and also I had to wear a visor and he didn’t have one.  We took each other’s helmets off to make it a fair game between the two of us.”   The players were therefore able to avoid the additional penalty, something the NHL has since looked at changing.

In Gallant’s role, fights are frequent in nature, something that the forward does not dwell on.  “I try not to think about it off the ice and just prepare for every game the same way.  I know my job, and I want to do anything I can to help the team be successful and make the playoffs.”

Gallant’s success in his role has lead to a stay in the Islanders organization of just under four seasons and counting, all the while becoming a fan favorite and a staple of physical hockey.  With Gallant’s family being able to settle in Bridgeport, CT over the past few seasons, the Summerside, PEI product can look back on the 2009-10 season with a bit more comfort.

“The 2010 season was definitely a tough season. I was in the ECHL with Elmira and the two affiliates were moving guys around a lot.  It got to the point where I wasn’t playing much at all.  I was then picked up by Reading and had to move there from Elmira.  I got to Reading, only played about 12 games and all of the sudden I got a call up to Bridgeport and I was on the move again.  It was exciting to get a chance in the AHL. We moved up and got settled in and we’ve been really happy here ever since.”

Gallant’s career in professional hockey might never have happened had the winger accepted an offer to go to school.  “I stayed home after my junior career ended and played with my hometown junior team in the Maritime Junior Hockey League.  I actually applied and was accepted to a youth corrections program.  Shortly after, my agent contacted me and said Binghamton had called and would like me to come to camp and that the Elmira Jackals in the ECHL would like to sign me.  So I made the decision to give pro hockey a go and it’s been good to me ever since.”

Off the ice, Gallant is Bridgeport’s PHPA Player Representative, another role that he traces back to early in his professional career.  “I had older guys tell me that coming into my career I should get involved with the PHPA because there are a lot of important and helpful things I should know.  I quickly got involved, and just from the Annual Player Rep meetings in Florida you learn something new every year.”

With several younger players entering the fold, Gallant stresses the importance of online resources even more.  “Now with the way the PHPA is set up, their Players Only website is so good that if a payer ever needs anything I really try to refer them to the website because it has so much information.”

As the 2013-14 season continues, look for Brett Gallant and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to improve in the standings.  “Right now we are about a .500 hockey team but we have to get better and we know that.  We definitely want to get into a playoff spot.”

With only seven points separating first place from last place in the Northeast division, it will be a fight till the end; something Gallant is prepared for.