Brisebois to announce retirement tonight

I saw bits of his press conference yesterday after the game. What a moment! Hadn't worn his '93 ring until yesterday. Demers had some great words to say to him. Enjoy your retirement Breezer, it is much deserved. Cheers.

Does anyone know of any player who calls out a reporter during his retirement speech? What a baby!!!

This Is a guy who consistently gave the puck up for 18 years. I hope you drive better than you play hockey.

I don't play In the N.H.L., but I would never embarrass myself In my retirement conference and I would also be a hell of a lot more accountable with my play than BREEZBYE. Very Sad.

I LOVE the Habs!!!

Where's the Breezer here at H I/O?  I want to hear his last words!!!

-----I'm back on the addiction. That's right, I'm on the Habs!-----

The class of the Habs! Hopefully he will stop by and inspire the team with his Stanley Cup ring. The guy bled for the team and to all the bashers out there, he played more NHL games than you did so who are you to bash him? All the best Breezer!!!

Thanks be to GOD. Amen.

I LOVE the Habs!!!

terrific, see ya

you'll definitely be missed Breezer!! Good luck with whatever you do!

«´¨`·.¸¸ *JustAHabsGirl* .¸¸.·´¨`»

A good Hab...thanks for everything Patrice!

You were often unfairly treated by the rabid fans and media, but you took it like a man...enjoy your retirement, it is well deserved.

XXIV...and counting

I was never really a big fan of Mr. Brisebois. But, I must admit he did give it his best shot each and every night as a Hab. For that I respect him and wish him the best of luck on his future endevors. I also want to apologize for my immature, boorish behavior of following the mob mentality and booing you. Au revoir, mon ami.

I'll miss those outlet passes, Breeze!  Thanks for the moments!

-----I'm back on the addiction. That's right, I'm on the Habs!-----

He may not have been the best player on ice but he was with one of the best hearts that bled bleu-blanc-rouge and always gave his best. He is head and shoulders above the crowd of the boo birds and ppl who made jokes at his expense.

Frankly I never understood these crowds for singling out Brisebois as there were many other players who did deserve more criticism. Was it because he was a decent person and not an horse's a$$ of a player?

Thank you Monsieur Brisebois and I wish you the best.

Cheers,

Ali B.

Congratulations Mr. Brisebois on a race well run.

Breeze had a solid career here in habland, he had his ups and his downs but I truly believe he gave his all for Les Canadiens...... I wish him luck and prosperity in all his future endeavors.

Talk about bleeding 'bleu, blanc, rouge', I hope Bégin gets a nice response tonight ... I'll miss him. 

"... et le buuuuut!"

For all of his shortcomings there is one thing that you can never take from Patrice Brisebois:  THIS MAN BLED BLEU, BLANC ET ROUGE.

When the boo-birds really started coming out for Breezer I noticed something in his game.  It appeared to me that the louder the boos got, the harder Breeze tried, but the harder Breeze tried the more he tried to force the "up the middle home-run pass".  But the man really tried his hardest to appease the fans.  The man really tried to fill his role at the time as the Habs top D-man.  The thing is, he didn't have the talent to be the anchor of a D corps.  But the club asked him to, and he gave it his all, but it wasn't enough and it further exposed the shortcomings in poor Breezer's game.

And yet for all the booing and the events surrounding his departure from Montreal to Colorado, the man still wanted to return to Montreal.  This alone should be worthy of the respect of all Habs fans.

Detractors will state that Breeze wasn't fast enough, didn't shoot hard enough, and was too soft, and he was all of these things.  Which made Breeze very well suited for no more than a 2nd pair Dman/PP Specialist.  But as is the case with the recent history of the club, he was asked to perform beyond his ability for most of his career in Montreal.

Merci Breezer for your many dedicated years to the CH!

Well said Ian! All Breezer wanted to do was play for the Habs and give it his all! He deserves the respect from the fans at the Bell Center tonight.

Good Luck Breezer!!!!

I can't use my tickets tonight - anyone interested in seeing Brisebois one last time?

They're in the whites, section 304CC. Face value is $120 for the pair. I've posted some ads on craigslist and stuff, but I'd rather sell them to someone from the HIO community. Send me a message through my profile.

DIng dong

The Breezer's gone.

At long effing last,

No more outlet pass

And no more falling on his ass

As the puck skips past.

Paid too much. Lasted too long.

I am glad. He is gone.

_________________________________________________________________________

 Beliveau with linemate Corny-eh.

I know this is unrelated, but ESPN.com just released there power rankings, but you can't see them unless you're a paying member. And most of the stuff on there site is the same way. Just curious, but does ESPN not realize they are the worst source for hockey news and analysis? Why should we have to pay for it? I'm sorry I know this is a stupid rant, but it really annoys me for some reason.

The rookie Trashers player Evander Kane got his name from Evander Holyfield, because is parents were big fans of the star boxer. Will the young player have a successfull career like Holyfield..time will tell.

Here's a funny video of the 2 Evanders meeting at a Trashers practice:

                              EVANDER Kane and Holyfield

I never liked Brisebois, and still dont but Oh well kudos to him for lasting as long as he did and staying in shape, congrats Patrice. Though last time i told a true story about Brisebois outside of hockey, a whole fiasco ensued and my comment was deleted, but from this story which i wont repeat I still dont respect the guy. But i digress, happy retirement!

Wayne Gretzky steps down as Phoenix coach.

"...a consummate pro who gave 100 per cent every shift." Well, maybe ... except when it interfered with travelling to Paris in mid-season.

"News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising." - Lord Northcliffe, British Newspaper Baron

Good luck to him. Looked like he gave his best - about all we can legitimately ask of any player. I hope this evening is a fitting tribute for him.

Patrice Brisebois took it all in stride. And with his large heart and broad shoulders he carried more of the blame for his teams  poor performance than he should have. He was the consummate professional team mate.

Brisebois was never a top 2nd defenceman his whole career. He played the game with all his worth every time on the ice. His low shot from the point was on  net more than not, creating chances.

After 16 years in this tough league he came back home as the 7th D for the past 2 years. He replaced the young and developing kids, and injured players that were higher and younger on the pecking order than himself. He had to fill in on the power play and in situations that required a  younger player, but he never complained. As an older player he was chalenged to keep up at times and errors that all players make were critisised way out of proportion.

I am every bit as proud of him as any player who wore our colours over the years. Patrice Brisebois has played his all and entertained me over the years in the game we both love. Merci Monsieur !!!

Ian

LONG overdue.

"... et le buuuuut!"

Do you think Carbo picked up any commission on the over 1,000,000 dollars he personally stuffed in his jeans? I have no idea how Bob Gainey allowed him to play the role he did, Carbo is gone, Breezer is now gone, at least it's over.

Oh my Timo must be taking this hard.

Maybe this will ease his pain: The End

----------------------------------------------------------- "Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them." - Sam Pollock

I see a number of posts provide qualified praise.  Breezer played 1,000 games in the NHL, putting him in pretty rare company.  I have felt that Breezer has been a convenient target for eithe the lazy or those who don't know hockey well.  Be fair:  he couldn't have had the career he did if he didn't have genuine NHL talent.

1,000 games, Stanley Cup ring.  He should receive his due based on what he has done, and what he brough, not for what he didn't have.

Bon voyage, and merci, Breezer.

I never liked him.. But last year, in that locker room.. no one had more heart for the CH than he did.

What I'll always admire about Breezer is the boundless enthusiasm he has for the game and the team.  I have a book called "The Making of Champions" that was written when Brisebois was an 18-year-old prospect.  The book follows six junior players, including Breezer, on their journeys through their draft seasons.  Of the six, Brisebois was the one who truly saw the magic of the game and the opportunities it offered him.  He was wide-eyed at the chance to play in a big arena out west during the Memorial Cup playoffs, and teary when the Habs drafted him.  He never lost that ability to see the magic, even after eighteen years and all the tough times that came with them.  These days, it's getting more rare to find a player who really appreciates how lucky he is to be doing what he's doing.  I like Brisebois for never forgetting that.  And I think it's fitting he retired a Hab.

http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com

I never disliked Patrice as much as many others and defended him (at least in my neighbourhood) on most nights over the last 2 seasons.  Though not a great defenceman, he was never as bad as a lot made him out to be.

I still remember a game I saw at the Forum on a Saturday night in November of 1994 where Patrick Roy shut out Gretzky et al but Patrice Brisebois was all over the ice and deservedly was named the game's 1st Star.

I'll remember that version of Patty Brisebois, good luck with the racing!

thanks breezer.

guys, i would like to introduce our new free agent signing : (just imagine him and komisarek meet again, in montreal, komisarek as a maple laugh and #17 as a hab...wow) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEaydH1ILlw

maybe brisebois is retiring... because FULL BREEZER is rejoining the habs tonight! beware that outlet pass!

wouldn't it have been great had Gainey gone and picked up Oly Kolzig to mentor Price. They know each other and that is the type of veteran goalie we could've used to have Price learn a thing or two from a vet that has played under pressure, and has also had very subpar seasons.

come on Bob, get rid of Halak already, and get paid off!

Ah... you will see, people. He'll be back. By november Habs will realize that without Breeze's glorious outlet passes the team is going nowhere. It is then that they will announce that a Stanley Cup winning integral part defenseman will return for another 5 seasons with the club in a deal worth $5.25 mil per year. Plus bonuses.

You will see. You all will see.

As for his retirement, I think it's been long over due. Sure he played many seasons for the Habs, but was he ever an impact player? He was a fourth or fifth defenseman at best.

IMO,I remember the boo-birds were on his case after he signed that huge $4 million a year contract back in 2002. Wanna know who else was getting paid $4 million at that time? Scott Niedermayer. I say he deserved the boos every time the puck hopped over his stick on the PP. As Chester said, I'm happy he won a Cup and had a long career but I'm happy he isn't playing in Montreal anymore.

He voluntarily came back to this team despite ridiculous treatment from moronic fans. That drive to don le bleu, blanc et rouge is valued a lot more by me than his assortment of miscues on defense. In a time where players wouldn't come here despite significant contract offers, he voluntarily came knowing the sort of unwelcomed treatment he would probably get. He was never the best, never the cornerstone, but he always put on the colors with pride. If nothing else, that commitment deserves the utmost respect.

Forget the funny, satirical or rude comments for a few moments. He lived a dream that everyone on this site would have loved. He wore the sweater. His name is on the Cup. Good man.