MONTREAL (AP) -Once Patrice Brisebois spoke to general manager Bob Gainey, he heard all he needed to come back to the Montreal Canadiens.
Brisebois, who won a Stanley Cup ring with Montreal in 1993, signed a one-year deal with the Canadiens on Friday. The 36-year-old defenseman spent the past two seasons with Colorado after leaving Montreal, where he played his first 14 NHL seasons.
Frequently booed at the Bell Centre during his first tenure with the Canadiens, Brisebois never forgot that Gainey publicly defended him shortly after the Hall of Fame forward became the GM.
“That was something special,” Brisebois said. “I always appreciated what he did for me that day and that’s something I really recognize.”
Brisebois, who had back surgery after being limited to 33 games with the Avalanche last season, told agent Don Meehan not to bother negotiating with any other organization after Gainey invited him to lunch recently to discuss the unrestricted free agent’s plans.
He will also rejoin head coach Guy Carbonneau, his first roommate when he joined the Canadiens in 1990-91.
“That’s another guy I have so much respect for,” Brisebois said. “He was my captain and now he’s going to be my coach. He knows what I can do. He knows my abilities.”
The 16-year veteran has 90 goals and 301 assists in 904 regular season games.
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