Donald Brashear arouses respect, admiration… and a little hatred

SAGUENAY | The signing of Donald Brashear has not gone unnoticed by those who follow the activities of the LNAH assiduously. Usually rather quiet, the various social networks of the Marquis de Jonquière have exploded.

• Read also – “I’m going to play until I can’t anymore”: Donald Brashear is still in the game at 52

“When Bob [Desjardins] announced Donald’s signing, I had to act as moderator quite a bit more often than usual. People wrote all kinds of nonsense about Donald and looked back on his past, said Jean-Michel Tremblay, communications manager for the Marquis. You have to have respect for a 52 year old guy who played 1000 games in the NHL. You don’t play 1,000 games in the NHL by chance.”

Brashear quickly found respect among his new supporters. From the 1,800 that were on average inside the Palais des Sports de Jonquière, they rose to almost 2,200.

On its own, an anecdote from Jean-Michaël Fortin, describer of the Marquis matches, allows us to understand the frenzy surrounding the hiring of Brashear.

“I sometimes go on the ice with the guys at the end of practices. Once Donald asked me to stay with him. He wanted me to make passes to practice his one-timers. When I told my father about this, he freaked out. For him, Brashear is a Canadiens player from his youth.”

Fucking Donald Brashear!

You will say that Fortin is in his early twenties and that he can easily be amazed by the arrival of a former NHLer whom he has only seen at work on YouTube. Except that this wonder was carried into the Marquis locker room, even among those who have already played in the Bettman circuit themselves.

“It is fucking Donald Brashear! He’s a legend,” exclaimed Patrick Bordeleau, when met in a tiny corridor adjacent to the locker room.

Fourth-round pick (114^e total) of the Minnesota Wild, Bordeleau played 129 games in two and a half seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. Like Brashear, he is best known for his aggressive play.

“The first time I saw him in the dressing room I was so impressed. The guy is 52 and still has a shape beach. I hope I’ll look like that,” the 37-year-old striker said with a laugh.

“Seriously, I have so much respect for what he accomplished. Plus, he was doing what I love to do. He played over 1000 games in the NHL. No one is going to be able to take that away from him.”

A positive ancestry

Obviously, Brashear’s reputation is well established. His teammates know that they can count on him if opponents allow themselves a little too much liberties towards them. But for them, his influence on the team goes well beyond his qualities as a righter of wrongs.

“He doesn’t talk much, but when he does, everyone, especially the young people, stops doing what he’s doing,” says Alexandre Picard, the captain of the Marquis. He really has a presence that everyone appreciates.”

“He’s a bit of a legend,” said Picard, first-round pick (8^e in total) of the Blue Jackets in 2004. We grew up seeing a guy like him fight against other legends. And not just fight. People forget that Donald can play hockey. And he is still capable of doing it, because he demonstrates it at 52 years old.

“And it doesn’t happen by accident,” he added. You have to be dedicated, you have to have discipline. It’s nice to see that he still has all that at this age,” he continued.

No return to the LNAH for a simple question of money

With his pocket on his shoulder and his two sticks in his hands, Donald Brashear is far from the life of the NHL, in which he played 1,025 games between 1995 and 2010. The one where players travel by charter plane and where attendants take care of the equipment.

The 52-year-old man instead crossed the Laurentides Park by car from Quebec, where he lives. A trip he makes almost every weekend. Luckily, this winter was not very harsh.

“He’s passionate,” says Bob Desjardins, head coach and general manager of the Marquis de Jonquière. He takes care of himself. It’s the same thing as Jaromir Jagr, who also still plays hockey.”

Indeed, the Czech, who celebrated his 52nd birthday the day after Valentine’s Day, is still playing. He wears the colors of Kladno, his hometown. We can try to make a lame connection by saying that Brashear plays for his adopted city since his partner is from Shipshaw, 10 minutes from Jonquière.

But, it stops there.

Some personal setbacks

Two years ago, Jagr admitted, in an interview with The Hockey News, that he continued to play to ensure the financial survival of the team of which he is the majority owner.

In Brashear’s case, it’s less clear. The former strongman of the Canadiens agreed to meet the author of these lines on the condition of not rehashing stories from the past: his failures in the business world, his troubles with the law, the job he already held at Tim Hortons.

So many setbacks in life that lead many to say that it is financial problems, more than passion, that encourage Brashear to put on his helmet, gloves and skates week after week.

“I came here in a tank, I have a house, I eat and I have laundry on my back. That makes it okay,” he said dryly.

“I have a competitive spirit. I like it competitive. Yes, I like playing for fun, but it also takes me on a challenge, also mentioned, during the interview, the one who played a match with the former Flyers at the beginning of February. It doesn’t matter what the world thinks. What’s important is what I think.”

Moreover, Brashear was careful not to reveal the amount he receives to wear the Marquis uniform (certainly several hundred dollars per game).

“It’s not the pay that makes me here,” he maintained.

Know how to get up

Captain of the Marquis de Jonquière, Alexandre Picard was no stranger to Brashear’s arrival in Saguenay. Named the most valuable player of the American League playoffs in 2012, the striker has known him for several years.

“He’s had his ups and downs in life, but it’s to his credit that he managed to come out of there with his head held high,” said the former first-round pick of the Blue Jackets (2004).

“We don’t talk enough about those who manage to get out of difficult times. It’s the same thing in hockey, he continued. Today, we see more and more people asking for help. I think it’s because of guys like Donald, guys who showed the way a little bit.”

In addition to playing for the Marquis and playing at the same time with the Wendake Black Jack in the Lac au Fleuve Senior Hockey League, Brashear makes ends meet by working at the Hockey Excellence Center, a company that offers different hockey schools in Quebec.

“It’s Karl Sirois, a friend of mine, who takes care of that. He asked me to go work for him. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I want to help young people and pass on my knowledge.”

No, he no longer lives with millions in his pocket, but he manages to earn his bread like everyone else.

“It’s a home run that I’m very proud of” – Bob Desjardins, general manager and coach of the Marquis

Donald Brashear is not the type to be easily convinced. It’s been a few years since Bob Desjardins wanted to see him line up with the Marquis.

Fully satisfied with playing in the company of his good friends with the Wendake Black Jack, in the Lac au Fleuve Senior Hockey League, Brashear saw no point in it. In fact, it was more that he feared serving as a show animal to help a team eager to fill its coffers more attract larger crowds.

In Jonquière, this was not a problem. With an average of 1,800 spectators per match and coverage already well established in the local media, the Marquis did not necessarily need a splash.

“The people in the region are so proud of their club. For the people of Jonquière, the Marquis are the equivalent of the Canadian,” said Desjardins.

“So, when I approached Donald, I told him that I wasn’t doing it for the robustness aspect,” continued the man who has been in the world of senior hockey for almost a quarter of a century. I told him I wanted him to come play hockey.”

Rare feat

To play hockey, he plays hockey. During the presence of Newspaper in Jonquière and Sorel, Brashear practically jumped on the ice in his regular turn. In the second game, he collected an assist in addition to buzzing, with his companions, in the opposing zone on several occasions.

“I love what he brings to my team. He knows the game so much. He talks to me a lot and he talks to the guys a lot, Desjardins said. There are not many people in Quebec who can boast of having played 1000 games in the NHL [à peine une cinquantaine]. These 1000 games, whether on the ice or on the bench, he lived them. And he played them with great players.

Pavel Bure, Jeremy Roenick, Mark Recchi, Alex Ovechkin are among those who shared Brashear’s locker room during his 16 full seasons in the Bettman circuit.

“It’s a home run that I’m very proud of,” said Desjardins. I’m glad he chose our organization, because he had been approached by two or three other organizations. That means our approach was the right one.”

Beautiful in a CV

Still, Brashear’s reputation precedes him. Desjardins was well aware that the former Canadiens strongman would not be perceived by the opponent as a player who could bring depth and energy to his team.

“It’s nice on a hockey resume for a guy who didn’t make it to the NHL or the American League to say that, once in his life, he fought Donald Brashear. A guy who was probably one of the strongest men in the NHL during his time.”

“But Donald is not a circus beast. If he does it, it’s because he feels that the team needs it, he insisted. He’s a guy who has weathered all the storms in his career. He has experience, he knows what it takes to go all the way.”

Obviously, at age 52, Brashear’s career is inevitably coming to an end. But the door to the Marquis locker room will remain open.

“As long as he is fit, he will be welcome.”