Ninety-nine years ago, Ste-Justine’s children’s hospital in Montreal admitted its first patient, an ill infant named Roland Brisebois.
It’s only a coincidence.
But after the Avalanche arrived in Montreal on Friday, Colorado defenseman Patrice Brisebois visited Ste-Justine’s to appear at a news conference commemorating his $50,000 gift to the hospital. The Montreal native played 14 seasons with the Canadiens before his hometown franchise didn’t pick up his contract option and he signed a $4.5 million, two-year deal with the Avalanche in August of 2005.
“I’m very fortunate to have two healthy children, and if I can make a difference for those kids there, that makes me happy,” Brisebois said after the Avalanche’s Sunday practice, as the team pointed toward tonight’s meeting with the Los Angeles Kings at the Pepsi Center. “It’s something my wife and I are proud of, and I’m going to continue to be involved in the future.”
Brisebois and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters: Alexandra, 6, and Rose, 3.
His involvement with Ste-Justine’s also is designed to call attention to the hospital’s need for private funding and contributions. When Brisebois competed for Ferrari of Montreal in the Ferrari Challenge Series for non-professional drivers around North America in the past three offseasons, he tried to recruit his sponsors to contribute to the hospital and to publicize the cause. That racing series is expensive, but for the most part low-key and not considered dangerous.
“I’m trying to make a big project of it,” he said of his involvement with Ste-Justine’s. “They’re trying to raise a lot of money as they come up to the 100th year, because the building is getting old. Our two children were born there, and a doctor was really, really nice to us. And then the Canadiens’ president, Pierre Boivin, was really, really involved in it, too. And ever since I started my career at 19 years old, every year, the Canadiens would go there. That’s something that really touched me.
“That’s why I got involved. I went there a few times by myself, not with the team, to see the kids, and I decided to try and do this…. The people working at the hospital are amazing. They are not always working with the best tools or facilities, but every doctor and nurse there is amazing.”
The Avalanche makes an annual visit to the Denver Children’s Hospital, and some individual players also have been involved on their own.
Brisebois and the Avalanche arrived in Denver early Sunday morning, after their 8-5 loss to the Canadiens that represented an ugly homecoming for both Brisebois and goalie Jose Theodore. It concluded an otherwise successful road swing, which began with victories at Toronto and Ottawa.
On the ice, Brisebois, who struggled down the stretch of the regular season and in the playoffs last season, for the most part is off to a decent start. That was important because the departure of Rob Blake – who returns with the Kings tonight – led to an expansion of Brisebois’ role, especially on the power play. Through eight games, he has a goal and two assists and is a minus 1, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time.
“He’s got off to a real strong start,” Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said. “He had a great start to last year. We wanted him to finish better, and that’s what we’re expecting from the get-go this time.”
Terry Frei can be reached at 303-954-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com.
