Donald Brashear

At 52 years old, Donald Brashear has this physical status:

Donald Maynard Brashear (born January 7, 1972) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey player who competed for five franchises in the National Hockey League (NHL), in which he was also a enforcer.

He was one of the NBA's top penalty minutes for six seasons, while ranking 15th in penalty minutes for the sixth season in a row.

He is still the all-time single season leader in penalty minutes, which he established in the 1997–98 season.

During the 1999-2000 season, he was involved in one of the most visible instances of on-ice brutality in NHL history, when Marty McSorley was slashed in the head.

Early life

Brashear was born in Bedford, Indiana, but as a child, he migrated to Val-Bélair, Quebec, his mother's ancestral village.

Brashear is the youngest of three children born to an American father, Johnny Brashear, and Nicole Gauthier, who was mainly of French-Canadian descent, in Bedford, Indiana. His father, an alcoholic, continued to hurt his family, including slashing Donald with belts and cords. On one occasion, when Donald was just six months old, he picked him up and hurled him through a window. Nicole, afraid that Johnny will kill her, left the family and returned to Canada. Later, she returned to visit the children, but Donald was left to live with his father for another four years until his paternal grandmother sent him to Canada. Donald's mother later revealed that she left him behind because her future husband was predisposed and she did not want to have another mixed-race child in the household.

Brashear and his mother and stepfather were eventually moved in Lorretteville, Quebec, Canada, with his mother and grandfather. Unfortunately, he suffered even more abuse in his new environment, including: being compelled to sleep with a garbage bag tied around his waist to prevent him from wetting the bed, and was chastised for not being able to tie his shoes. His mother eventually agreed to foster care due in large part to his "mental disorders" as a result of his abuse, as well as because he did not recognize him as his mother. Brashear was in two separate foster homes that he was unable to cope with because the families felt he was "too much to handle."

Brashear moved to Val-Bélair, Quebec, at the age of eight, and settled into a new foster home. He and his younger siblings learned to play hockey together. Brashear sold baked bread and garbage bags door to door, and later became a paper boy to help pay for hockey. He competed in the 1984, 1985, and 1986 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments, as well as three other minor ice hockey teams from Quebec City.

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Professional career

Brashear was signed as a free agent by the Montreal Canadiens in 1992. He spent three seasons with the Fredericton Canadiens, an American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, before joining Montreal at the NHL level. He made career highs of 38 goals and 66 points in 62 games during the 1993–94 AHL season, as well as 250 Penalty Minutes (PIMs). His 38 goals put him in first place on the team's lead and Fredericton's 250 PIMs led Fredericton. Brashear made his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators on November 15, 1993. He was an assist in the game, his first appearance in the NHL. In a game against the Edmonton Oilers two days later, he scored his first NHL goal. After a tense verbal exchange with Head Coach Mario Tremblay during a team practice on November 9, 1996, he had been playing parts of four seasons with the Canadiens. Brashear was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jassen Cullimore, four days later. Brashear finished the year with 13 points and 245 PIMs, the seventh-highest in the NHL.

Brashear led the NHL in penalty minutes and established a Canucks franchise record of 372 PIMs in 1997–98, while adding 18 points. He was banned for giving Ian Laperrière a blind-side punch during the season. Brashear recalled striking Laperrière in revenge for Brashear's teammate Gino Odjick from behind. The 1998–99 season was the first time in his career that he appeared in all 82 games, including leading the Canucks in penalty minutes and finishing eighth in the league. Brashear had a career-high in goals in the 1999–2000 season, but the season was marred by one of the most recorded incidents of excessive violence in the modern age of hockey.

Brashear was involved in a brawl with Marty McSorley during a Canucks home game against the Boston Bruins on February 21, 2000. Brashear won the game handily, and the Bruins' bench was taunted by him as he made his way to the penalty box. Brashear collided with Bruins goaltender Byron Dafoe, who had to be admitted to the hospital on a stretcher due to a knee injury later in the game. McSorley, the majority of the game, was waiting for a rematch with Brashear, who declined to fight again. A tumultuous McSorley swung his stick toward Brashear's head from behind and struck him with a two-handed slash to the right temple with less than seconds remaining in the game. Brashear collapsed to the ice immediately, with his helmet falling off as the back of his head struck the ice. He had a seizure and the slash resulted in a grade-three concussion. Garth Snow of the Canucks tried to stop McSorley, but a pile-up ensued, and Snow was unable to reach McSorley, who had been suspended with 2.8 seconds left in the game. McSorley was suspended indefinitely from the league and charged with assault with a weapon as a result of his behavior.

Brashear testified that he had no recall of the incident in British Columbia, where Brashear testified that he had no idea. McSorley testified that he attempted to punch Brashear in the shoulder to begin a fight with him but didn't succeed, resulting in the head shot. McSorley was found guilty but not of a prison term, but he was convicted of a prison term. He was ordered to complete 18 months of probation, but he was not allowed to participate in a match against Brashear. Brashear has been able to play before the season came to an end. Following the arrest, McSorley, who missed the remaining 23 games of the regular season, had his suspension in effect for one year. McSorley's career was effectively ended by the incident, although he had never participated in another NHL game. Brashear was often asked later if he had ever spoken to McSorley about the incident, and he always replied in the same way: he and McSorley had no acquaintances at the time and had no plans to ever speak to each other about what had transpired.

Brashear appeared in 79 games the year before, winning 19 assists and 28 points. Brashear was traded 31 games to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2001-02, after leading the Canucks in penalty minutes for the previous four seasons. In exchange for Jan Hlavás and the Flyers' third-round pick in the same draft, the Flyers received Brashear and the Canucks' sixth-round draft pick in 2002. Brashear set a career-high in points (32) while still holding 199 PIMs, splitting time between the two franchises. He scored eight goals, 25 points, and 161 PIMs between 2002 and 2003. He was given the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy, which is an annual award given to the Flyers' most improved player, due in part to his hard work ethic. He was one of the top players in PIMs during the 2003–04 season, racking 212, placing him fifth overall. His PIM total was aided by his participation in the most penalized game in NHL history. When the Flyers had 1:45 minutes remaining in the game, they defeated Ottawa Senator Rob Ray 5–2. The brawl was reportedly in revenge for Flyers forward Mark Recchi, who had been stabbed in the face by Senator Martin Havlát. Five separate brawls broke out following Brashear's fight. Brashear was given 34 PIMs for his service in the fight, more than any other Flyer. "Why don't I?" asked him later why he started the war, he replied, "Why didn't I?"

Did you see the last game?"

Brashear signed with the Quebec Radio X of the semi-pro Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey league, owing to the cancellation of the 2004–05 NHL season by the NHL lockout. (LNAH). According to reports, the offer was worth $300,000. He scored 18 goals and 50 points in 47 games, but was unable to fight because the League did not do anything to shield him from players wanting to make a name for themselves against a well-known NHL enforcer. Brashear was suspended from the league after an incident in which he was punching a player in the chest while he was lying on the ice.

Brashear expressed his dissatisfaction with the current game system, saying that the NHL modified the laws to favor "superstars" and that there was no longer a way to "get respect" on the ice. His remark came after he tried to kill Darius Kasparaitis, the Flyers' former champion, who was deemed to have a "cheap shot" to Simon Gagné in an Olympic game earlier this year. Brashear struck Kasparaitis with a gloved punch at 1:53 remaining in the game after Kasparaitis refused to confront Brashear at several points in the game. Kasparaitis did not retaliate, but rather hid himself from the public eye. Brashear was fined 29 PIMs for the incident, as well as an instigator penalty. Brashear was suspended for one game as a result of new League rules for the 2005–06 season; any player convicted of an instigator foul in the final five minutes of regulation or overtime will face an automatic one-game suspension. He was once again in the top ten (right) in PIMs, clocking 166, but his offensive output dropped to a mere nine points at the end of the year. The Flyers decided not to re-sign the enforcer.

Brashear was then signed by the Washington Capitals to a one-year, $1 million deal on July 14, 2006. Alexander Ovechkin would be covered on-ice, so the contract was intended to guarantee him. Brashear was deemed not to be a risk to the team, according to the team's leadership, despite bringing an intimidating presence. Brashear's deal was extended by the Capitals through the 2006-07 season, signing him to a one-year, $1.1 million contract extension. Following a brawl between Brashear and Brendan Shanahan, he was suspended one game by the NHL during the regular season for punching New York Rangers defensiveman Aaron Ward. Shanahan argued that Brashear was liberating with Rangers captain Jaromr Jágr Jágr, and challenged Brashear to a fight. Brashear was defeated in the fight and motioned as if he was dusting off his hands. Ward then approached him and had a word with Brashear, who replied by punching him in the chest, giving Brashear a game suspension for intent to hurt and eventually suspended him. For the sixth time in his career, his point total increased from the previous season to 13 and his 156 PIMs ranked him in the top ten (sixth) in the league at the end of the season. Brashear's offensive numbers dropped to eight points in 80 games for the Capitals in 2007, but his offensive production fell to eight points despite obtaining only 119 PIMs. Nonetheless, he was one of the Capitals' alternate captains. The Capitals re-signed Brashear on January 24, 2008, this time to a one-year, $1.2 million contract extension.

Brashear's point total dropped to four in 2008–09, his lowest figure since 1995–96, while he was with the Montreal Canadiens. He was banned for two separate on-ice incidents during the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. In Game 6 of the Capitals' first-round match, the Capitals defeated the New York Rangers on April 26, 2009. Brashear shoved Rangers enforcer Colton Orr into Colton Orr, then delivered a blind-side blow to Blair Betts midway through the game's first period. Betts was out indefinitely as a result of the accident and possibly broken elbow. Colin Campbell found that the assault was late on an unsuspecting player; he also believed it was struck the head, causing significant injury. Brashear received a six-game suspension by the League for his behavior, one for the pre-game altercation and five for the attack on Betts.

Brashear was not given a contract extension during the season, and ahead of the free agency's inception, he said he would return to Washington, citing the possibility of winning a Stanley Cup. Brashear said that taking care of his family was his highest priority at his age and place in his work, and that money would be the deciding factor in his decision. The Capitals opted not to re-sign him, but not in the Capitals. After initial discussions with the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)'s Vityaz Chekhov, the New York Rangers' Vityaz Chekhov has decided to a two-year, $2.8 million deal. Brashear was booed at an event for season-ticket holders due to the Rangers' reorganisation in the previous post-season. He made a personal record during the 2009-10 season by playing in his 1,000th NHL game against the Atlanta Thrashers on November 12.

Brashear failed in New York, only posting one assist and 73 PIMs in 36 games; he became dissatisfied with his work in New York and requested a trade. Brashear was suspended after a string of seven-straight and 12 of 13 games where he was a healthy scratch. He was assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers' AHL affiliate, after clearing waivers. Despite the demotion, Brashear was delighted to be delivering consistent ice time whilst in Hartford.

Brashear was already on waivers at the end of the season, making him eligible for a contract buyout. The Rangers traded Brashear and Patrick Rissmiller to the Atlanta Thrashers on August 2, 2010, instead of buying-out his deal. Brashear was put on waivers and sold-out for the remainder of his deal, making him an unrestricted free agent. Brashear finished 15th in all-time in NHL history for penalty minutes at the 2009–10 season.

Brashear left the LNAH after not receiving a lot of attention from any NHL team, and signed with Sorel-Tracy GCI. He cited his decision based on his desire to play hockey, his passion for playing in Quebec, and the opportunity to reunite with some former teammates. He was later traded to Rivière-du-Loup 3L later in the season to add strength and toughness to the squad. Rivière-du-Loup considered Brashear's transfer to the team a "coup," with the understanding that they could not pass up the opportunity to add him to the team. Brashear was suspended for his part in a brawl against Trois-Rivières late in the season. Brashear "attacked" goaltender Julien Ellis after he slashed one of Brashear's teammates who was involved in a different brawl. Several gloved punches were delivered by Brashear before one of Ellis' teammates attempted to restrain Brashear. Brashear fought with the defending player, but Brashear retaliated after being pushed to the ice, causing Brashear to punch the "defenceless" player. He came back after the goaltender was tackled by a linesman, who then tackled him. The suspension had been expected at eight games, but after the League played with Brashear and Rivière-du-Loup's general manager, it was limited to five games.

Brashear stepped out of retirement in November 2014 and signed with Modo Hockey of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for the remainder of the season. He scored on a power play against Vita Hästen on March 16, 2015, before concluding his academic career at the end of the 2014–15 season.

Career statistics

Bold indicates led league

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