Legends tour: Montreal alumni squad visits Saint John for contest tonight at LBR, starting at 7 p.m.

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JON MACNEILL
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

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Participating in the Montreal Canadiens alumni tour was really a no-brainer for Patrice Brisebois.

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The Canadian Press

Hockey legend Jean Beliveau, right, presents Montreal Canadiens' Patrice Brisebois with the Jean Beliveau trophy for his charitable endeavours and implication in the community after announcing his retirement in September. Brisebois will skate in Saint John tonight with the Montreal Canadiens alumni squad.

Not only will the freshly-retired defenceman skate alongside some of the greatest players in Habs' history, it also allows him to continue another passion very close to his heart.

"The most important thing is we're raising money for kids in Fredericton and Saint John in minor hockey," Brisebois said in a recent phone interview.

"It's a two-for-one."

Brisebois and a slate of Canadiens alumni are in the Port City tonight as part of the NHL Legends Maritime Tour. The squad will play a 7 p.m. game at the Lord Beaverbrook Rink against a team of local legends after doing a similar gig Tuesday in Fredericton.

A portion of the proceeds from tonight's event will go the Hockey for Everyone program and minor hockey teams around the city.

Brisebois played 18 years in the National Hockey League and was an ardent supporter of children's charities throughout his career.

His first brush with philanthropy came in 1990 when visiting the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre in Montreal with the Canadiens.

"Since that first visit, it's always stuck with me," he said. "To go there and see those faces and big smiles, for me, it's an amazing feeling. For a few hours they're not thinking about their illness, they're having fun with us."

Over the years, Brisebois and his wife Michele donated nearly $200,000 to the Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation and participated in several fundraising events for various causes.

"But it's not only raising money, it's spending time with (the kids)," he said. "That's what they need, too."

For his charitable work and involvement in the community, Brisebois was awarded the Jean Beliveau Trophy, coincidentally on the same day he announced his retirement from the NHL in late September.

"Jean Beliveau is my role model, the definition of a gentleman is Jean Belliveau so to win his trophy means a lot to me."

But tonight's alumni game is also a chance for Brisebois to play the kind of hockey he loved at the junior level, free from the pressure and politics of the NHL.

The 38-year-old Montreal native had an illustrious junior career. In the 1990-91 season he won the Emile Bouchard Trophy - awarded to the best defencemen in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League - was named to the QMJHL All-Star team and was the Canadian Major Junior Defenceman of the Year.

By the age of 21, Brisebois had cracked the Canadiens lineup and helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 1992-93.

Despite the early success, the offensive blueliner said he struggled to adjust to the strictly defensive systems in Montreal.

"I had learned to always jump in the play and try to create offensive plays (in junior hockey), but when I started with Jacques Laperriere as the defensive coach (in Montreal) he said, 'now I'm going to show you how to play well defensively and that's the way you're going to play'," Brisebois said.

"He said you can have your points on the power play, that's it."

It was a tough pill for Brisebois to swallow.

He tried to create scoring opportunities, often spurring tongue-lashings from fans and the media.

In 1999, he was awarded a three-year, $12 million contract with the Canadiens, but the hefty deal only stoked the flame of Montrealers who were either unhappy with Brisebois' production or his risky offensive style.

He said it's tough to deal with those pressures, but he never let it damper his passion for the game and strive to capture another Stanely Cup.

"Jumping on the ice, I felt no more problems, it was the best time of my day."

And it'll be the same story tonight, as Brisebois shares the historic ice-surface at the LBR with Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur and slapshot artist Stephane Richer, among others.

"It doesn't matter if I miss a pass or miss a shot and now that I'm retired, that's the way I want to play hockey. I'm not putting any pressure on my shoulders because we have a pretty good team and we haven't lost a game yet," he said with a chuckle.

"Now I'm playing with friends and playing for fans."