FanHouse PatriceBrisebois

Thanks to a series of injuries to goalies Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson, the Washington Capitals have had some rather unfamiliar faces suiting up the past two nights. On Friday, Ted Starkey told you the story of Brett Leonhardt, the Capitals web producer who had the opportunity to sit on the bench and serve as the backup goalie until Simeon Varlamov could make it to the arena, fresh off his callup from the minors.

On Saturday, it was Varlamov's moment to shine, as the 20-year old rookie turned aside 32 shots in his first NHL start, helping lead the Capitals to a 2-1 win in Montreal. The Canadiens peppered the former first-round pick with 27 shots over the final two periods, but he was up to the challenge, keeping the game tied at one until Michael Nylander scored his third goal of the season at the 17:28 mark of the third period, giving Washington the lead.

Nicklas Backstrom also scored for the Capitals, while Patrice Brisebois tallied the lone goal for Montreal. Jaroslav Halak picked up the start filling in for Carey Price, stopping 24 shots.

Entering Thursday's game against the Islanders, Pittsburgh found itself with a three-game losing streak. Consider the streak over, as the Penguins systematically dismantled New York with a 9-2 thumping at Mellon Arena. The Penguins received hat tricks from both Petr Sykora and Pascal Dupuis (each player's first ever hat trick) as they never let up, while fans chanted "we want 10" during the final minute of regulation.

The Penguins scored four goals in both the first and second periods, before Dupuis completed his hat trick late in the third period. Defensemen Mark Streit and Andy Sutton scored the only goals for New York, as Penguins goalie John Curry picked up his second NHL win (both against the Islanders) making 24 saves.

The biggest problem for the Islanders was the fact they couldn't stay out of the penalty box, picking up 34 penalty minutes throughout the game, including three separate occasions where they handed Pittsburgh five-on-three advantages.

Pittsburgh had eight different players finish with multiple points, including Evgeni Malkin (goal, assist) and Sidney Crosby (three assists) who continue to distance themselves from the rest of the pack in the NHL scoring race. Amazingly, Jeff Taffe, recently called up from the minors, found a way to finish the game as a -1.

Should you feel sorry for the Islanders after a loss like this? Of course not. This is the big leagues, and as long as they're going to keep playing hard and physical (as they did), you should expect the other team to keep clicking on all cylinders in an effort to score as many goals as possible. You never know when the other team could mount an unexpected, late-game comeback.

The Montreal Canadiens made a bit of a puzzling free agent signing as they brought back 36=year old Patrice Brisebois for another season in the bleu, blanc, et rouge..

Why the Canadiens would want Brisebois is strange, but justifyable. Why Brisebois would want to go back to Montreal, is just mind boggling.

For those who don't quite remember, Patrice "Breeze By", a home town boy, was booed and soundly chastised for his soft play and numerous giveaways. Rather than support 'one of their own', the Habs fans seemed to channel all of their frustrations on Patrice, who made an easy target.

A few years after his exile to Colorado, the feelings still linger, and the signing is not turning out to be a popular one.

The Canadiens sent out a press release at 4:23 p.m. on Friday, announcing that defenceman Patrice Brisebois was returning to Montreal after signing a one-year, $700,000 US contract for the 2007-08 season.

The news was posted on The Montreal Gazette's website devoted to the Canadiens (habsinsideout.com) and at 4:41 p.m. the first comment from a fan landed:

"Sad sad day," it simply stated.

I am not fan of Brisebois and his softie style of play, but I do feel some measure of pity when he becomes such a target for the frustrations and vitriol of an entire fan-base. Brisebois gave the Habs many years of productive play, and doesn't deserve nearly as much crap as he gets.

Still, one has to question the mental constitution of Brisebois over his decision to play another year in a jungle full of dive-bombing boo-birds. Wouldn't retirement be a better option?