Donald Brashear : Ice Hockey player of black African desert

International play

Brashear has represented the United States on two separate occasions. He made his international debut at the 1997 World Championshipwhere he registered 2 goals and 5 points in 8 games, helping the Americans to a 6th place finish. He later noted that he was surprised by the invitation, but felt that it gave him an opportunity to show he could play other roles besides being an enforcer. He played for Team USA again the following year at the World Championship playing in 6 games and accumulating 10 penalty minutes^[61] as the Americans finished in 12th place.

Playing style

Brashear was an enforcer; his role was to protect his teammates if an opponent is going beyond what is considered acceptable physical play to "dirty" play or taking "cheap shots". Brashear was a tenacious forechecker, who could create momentum by playing aggressive and delivering body checks, while possessing an underrated shot. When fighting he uses a combination of balance and upper body strength while taking his time trying to control his opponents before landing punches.^]Although left handed by nature, he became adept at using either hand during fights. He was considered one of the toughest players in the NHL^] as well as one most feared.

In the January 2010 issue of The Hockey News, Brashear was named enforcer of the decade, noting that although he did not lead the NHL in number of fights, during the decade, he would have been involved in more if "he wasn't so feared". Hockey analyst Bill Clement states that "Brashear has a great sense of when his fighting skills are necessary and he picks his spots before dropping the gloves. He’s excellent at understanding when a bit of pugilism might well provide the push or nudge to get some momentum going for his team." The Hockey Newsalso assessed his skills by saying he possessed one of the most intimidating packages in the league, had a decent skating stride and was one of the best pugilists in the NHL. He was a bit too deliberate when handling and passing the puck, and fought much less as he got older, while slowly breaking down over time.

Personal

Brashear has two sons, Jordan and Jackson; he separated from their mother, Gabrielle Desgagne, his common-law wife, in 2007. In 2000 Brashear was charged with assault following an incident where he grabbed a man by the neck and shoved him. The incident occurred after the man complained to Desgagne about the couple's infant son crawling on the exercise machines in the family's town-home complex's gym. Brashear received six months probation after pleading guilty to common assault.

During the lockout he spent time as an amateur boxer compiling a 2-1 record. Later he trained with former heavyweight champion, Smokin' Joe Frasier In 2007 Brashear, along with some friends, started the house building company, DEC Construction. During the off-season he works on site doing various jobs. He has a knack for languages speaking French and English, and learning Russian and Spanish. He enjoys music as well playing the piano while learning the acoustic guitar. Brashear's great-uncle Carl Brashear, was the first African-American to be certified as a Master Diver in the U.S. Navy. He was the inspiration for the movie Men of Honor, in which he was portrayed byCuba Gooding, Jr.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1988–89	Ste-Foy Gouverneurs	QAAA		10	1	2	3	10		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Longueuil Collège Français	QMJHL		64	12	14	26	169		7	0	0	0	11
1990–91	Longueuil Collège Français	QMJHL		68	12	26	38	195		8	0	3	3	33
1991–92	Verdun Collège Français	QMJHL		65	18	24	42	283		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL		76	11	3	14	261		5	0	0	0	8
1993–94	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL		62	38	28	66	250		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		14	2	2	4	34		2	0	0	0	0
1994–95	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL		29	10	9	19	182		17	7	5	12	77
1994–95	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		20	1	1	2	63		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		67	0	4	4	223		6	0	0	0	2
1996–97	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		10	0	0	0	38		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		59	8	5	13	207		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		77	9	9	18	372		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		82	8	10	18	209		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		60	11	2	13	136		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		79	9	19	28	145		4	0	0	0	0
2001–02	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		31	5	8	13	90		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		50	4	15	19	109		5	0	0	0	19
2002–03	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		80	8	17	25	161		13	1	2	3	21
2003–04	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		64	6	7	13	212		18	1	3	4	61
2004–05	Quebec Radio X	LNAH		47	18	32	50	260		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		76	4	5	9	166		1	0	0	0	0
2006–07	Washington Capitals	NHL		77	4	9	13	156		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Washington Capitals	NHL		80	5	3	8	119		7	1	1	2	0
2008–09	Washington Capitals	NHL		63	1	3	4	121		4	0	0	0	18
2009–10	New York Rangers	NHL		36	0	1	1	73		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		27	2	4	6	25		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				1025	85	120	205	2,634		60	3	6	9	121

International statistics

Year	Team	Event			GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1997	United States	WC			8	2	3	5	8
1998	United States	WC			6	0	0	0	10
Totals					14	2	3	5	18

Posted in: Ice Hockey