Donald Brashear inspires respect, admiration… and a little hate
SAGUENAY | Donald Brashear's signing has not gone unnoticed by those who closely follow LNAH's activities. Normally quiet, the Marquis de Jonquière's various social networks have exploded.
• Also read – “I'll play until I can't anymore”: Donald Brashear is still in the game at 52
“As Bob [Desjardins] When I announced Donald's signing, I had to act as moderator much more often than usual. People wrote all sorts 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 who played 1,000 games in the NHL. It’s no coincidence that you play 1,000 games in the NHL.”
Photo Didier Debusschere
Brashear quickly gained respect from his new supporters. Of the average 1,800 at the Palais des Sports de Jonquière there were almost 2,200.
An anecdote alone from Jean-Michaël Fortin, the describer of the Marquis matches, allows us to understand the excitement surrounding Brashear's hiring.
“Sometimes at the end of training I go on the ice with the boys. Once Donald asked me to stay with him. He wanted me to make passes to practice his one-timers. When I told my dad about it, he freaked out. To him, Brashear is a Canadiens player from his youth.”
Fuck Donald Brashear!
They will say that Fortin is in his early twenties and that he can easily be surprised by the arrival of a former NHL player who he has only seen at work on YouTube. Except that this miracle was carried into the Marquis dressing room, even among those who had already played in the Bettman scene themselves.
Photo Didier Debusschere
“It’s fucking Donald Brashear! He’s a legend,” Patrick Bordeleau exclaimed when we met him in a tiny hallway next to the locker room.
A fourth-round pick (114th overall) of the Minnesota Wild, Bordeleau played 129 games over two and a half seasons for the Colorado Avalanche. Like Brashear, he is best known for his aggressive play.
“When I first saw him in the dressing room I was so impressed. The guy is 52 years old and still has a beach body. I hope I look like that,” the 37-year-old striker said with a laugh.
“Seriously, I have a lot of respect for what he has achieved. Plus, he did what I love to do. He played over 1,000 games in the NHL. Nobody will be able to take that away from him.”
A positive ancestry
Clearly, Brashear's reputation is well established. His teammates know that they can count on him when their opponents take a little too much liberty with them. But for them, his influence on the team goes far beyond his qualities as a righter of injustice.
Photo Didier Debusschere
“He doesn't talk much, but when he does, everyone, especially the young people, stop doing what he's doing,” says Alexandre Picard, the Marquis's captain. He really has a presence that everyone can appreciate.”
“He's kind of a legend,” said Picard, a first-round pick (8th overall) of the Blue Jackets in 2004. “We grew up watching 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 it, because he proves it at the age of 52.
“And it doesn’t happen by chance,” he added. You have to be committed, you have to have discipline. “It’s nice to see he still has all that at this age,” he continued.
No return to LNAH for a simple money issue
Photo Didier Debusschere
With his bag on his shoulder and his two sticks in his hands, Donald Brashear is far removed from life in the NHL, where he played 1,025 games between 1995 and 2010. The life in which the players travel on charter planes and in which the supervisors take care of the equipment.
Instead, the 52-year-old man crossed Laurentides Park by car from Quebec, where he lives. A trip he takes almost every weekend. Luckily this winter wasn't 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 as Jaromir Jagr, who also still plays hockey.”
Photo Didier Debusschere
In fact, the Czech, who celebrated his 52nd birthday the day after Valentine's Day, is still playing. He wears the colors of his hometown Kladno. We can try to make a tenuous connection by saying that Brashear plays for his adopted hometown since his partner is from Shipshaw, 10 minutes from Jonquière.
But that's where it stops.
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 Canadiens strongman agreed to meet the author of these lines on the condition that he not rehash stories from the past: his failures in the business world, his problems with the law, the job he already had with Tim Hortons held.
There are so many setbacks in life that many say it is financial issues rather than passion that keep Brashear putting on the 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’s okay,” he said dryly.
“I have a competitive spirit. I like it competitive. Yes, I like to play for fun, but it also brings me to a challenge that was also mentioned in the interview, the one that played a match with the former Flyers in early February. It doesn't matter what the world thinks. What’s important is what I think.”
Additionally, Brashear was careful not to reveal the amount of money he receives for wearing the Marquis uniform (certainly several hundred dollars per game).
“It’s not the pay that gets me here,” he claimed.
Know how to stand up
Alexandre Picard, captain of the Marquis de Jonquière, was no stranger to Brashear's arrival in Saguenay. The forward, who was named the most valuable player of the American League playoffs in 2012, has known him for several years.
Photo Didier Debusschere
“He's had ups and downs in his life, but to his credit he's been able to come out of it with his head held high,” said the former Blue Jackets first-round pick (2004).
“We don’t talk enough about those who manage to get out of difficult times. It's the same in hockey, he continued. Nowadays we see more and more people asking for help. I think that’s because of people like Donald who showed the way a little bit.”
In addition to playing for the Marquis while also playing for the Wendake Black Jack in the Lac au Fleuve Senior Hockey League, Brashear makes money working at the Hockey Excellence Center, a company that provides various hockey schools in Quebec.
“Karl Sirois, a friend of mine, is taking 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 make a living 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 of guy who is easily convinced. It's been a few years since Bob Desjardins wanted to see him near the Marquis.
Brashear was perfectly content playing with his good friends at the Wendake Black Jack in the Lac au Fleuve Senior Hockey League and saw no point in it. In fact, he was more afraid of acting as a showman to help a team looking to fill its coffers draw larger crowds.
In Jonquière that wasn't a problem. With an average of 1,800 spectators per game and already established local media coverage, the Marquis didn't necessarily need a surprise.
Photo QMI Agency, Steve Gauthier
“The people in the region are so proud of their club. For the people of Jonquière, the Marquis are the equivalent of the Canadian,” Desjardins said.
“So when I reached out to Donald, I told him I wasn’t doing it for the toughness,” continued the man who has been in the world of senior hockey for nearly a quarter century. I told him I wanted him to come play hockey.”
Rare achievement
To play hockey, he plays hockey. During the Journal's presence in Jonquière and Sorel, Brashear practically jumped to the ice on his regular play. In the second game, he collected an assist and hummed several times with his comrades in the opponent's zone.
“I love what he brings to my team. He knows the game so well. “He talks to me a lot and he talks to the guys a lot,” Desjardins said. There aren't many people in Quebec who can boast of having played 1,000 games in the NHL [à peine une cinquantaine]. Those 1,000 games, whether on the ice or on the bench, he lived them. And he played them with great players.
Photo QMI Agency, Steve Gauthier
Pavel Bure, Jeremy Roenick, Mark Recchi and Alex Ovechkin are among those who shared Brashear's locker room during his 16 full seasons on the Bettman circuit.
“It’s a home run that I’m very proud of,” Desjardins said. I'm glad he chose our organization because two or three other organizations had already approached him. This means our approach was the right one.”
Nice on a resume
Still, Brashear's reputation precedes him. Desjardins knew the former Canadiens big man would not be perceived by opponents as a player who could add depth and energy to his team.
Photo Didier Debusschere
“For a guy who didn’t make it to the NHL or the American League, it’s nice to say on his hockey resume that he wrestled Donald Brashear once in his life. A guy who was probably one of the strongest men in the NHL at the time.”
“But Donald is not a circus animal. If he does it, it's because he feels the team needs it, he emphasized. 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.”
Apparently, at age 52, Brashear's career is inevitably coming to an end. But the door to the Marquis dressing room remains open.
“As long as he is fit, he is welcome.”
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