Wednesday, October 17, 2007

On Brisebois

I've always had a little bit of trouble explaining exactly what it is about Brisebois I dislike so much.

You know, I can live with a player who gives the puck away. I can live with a player who is not strong enough to win the puck on the boards, or clear the zone. Goodness knows we all lived with a whole corps of them for many of the past 15 years.


No, with Brisebois, it's always been the way he reacts to losing the puck, to passing it directly to the opposition.

I watched his interview today on RDS, and, to give him credit, he comes across as a very well-spoken player with a good idea of his place on the team at the moment. But there was one moment that ruined the whole interview for me, made me remember exactly what it is about him I can't stand; and why, ultimately (despite his articulate and mature take on things), I would like to see the back of number 71 before Xmas if possible.

The moment comes at a point when he is speaking about his racing. The question is put to him about the differences between racing and hockey. Then the interviewer implies that despite those, the two are probably very similar because of the aspect of team play.

Patrice responds, as if not hearing the bit about similarities, and explains why he likes racing because in the car, he is the only one in control, he is the only one who determines the outcome. In hockey, he states (and I'm paraphrasing and embellishing a tiny bit here) the team plays a more important part in the individual’s game:

"Sometimes when your partner on defense is not ready, he can make you look like a fool..."

?!?!?

It's that hands in the air time again – Rivet didn't cover for me, Quintal didn't cover the man in front, Bouillon pinched too far – they made me look like a fool.

This is what I dislike about him: how he plays the victim, fails to take the blame. And, most importantly, because of that dismissive attitude, doesn't take the necessary steps to learn from his mistakes.

Just thought I'd explain that. If you want, watch for yourself.

3 comments:

  1. Brisebois had one great shift last night in the overtime. He beat a man coming out of his zone, made a good pass, and parked himself on the far side of the net and called for the puck. All without falling over.

    Oh wait, he's a defenseman playing 4-on-4 hockey. What's he doing in front of the net?

    V

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  2. People rarely notice good defensive play. Unless there is a flying poke check or a glass-shattering hit, defensive action is usually the filler between a neutral zone rush and either a great save or goal. On the other hand, defensive meltdowns are as obvious Pierre McGuire's receding hairline.

    After a game filled with blunders (I didn't know it was Mr Z's birthday) Brisebois probably felt that he had to redeem himself. And the only way to do that is to score a goal.

    The man never admits to screwing up, but trust me, I'm pretty sure he knows it when he does.

    A quick fix to this problem is to not play him...anybody know Carbo's phone number?

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  3. I honestly believe that Brisebois lives in his own little world, where he is a superstar hockey player only being held back by incompetent teammates.

    It's unfortunate that a player like this would win a Cup so early in his career, reinforcing his delusions probably for good. He'll still fall back on that Cup (as the media do over and over again) to explain why he is in the league at all...

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