Montreal Canadiens defenseman Patrice Brisebois retired Thursday, ending his 18-year NHL career with plans to drive on NASCAR’s Canadian series. The 38-year-old Brisebois spent 16 seasons with the Canadiens, retiring in third place on the franchise list for games by a defenseman (896), fourth for goals by a defenseman (87) and fifth in points by a defenseman (371). On March 14, he became the 11th player to play 1,000 games for the Canadiens. Brisebois said he’s seeking sponsors to fund the next phase of his career, as a driver in NASCAR’s Canadian Tire Series. “It’s a great team sport, like hockey,” Brisebois said of auto racing. “Your mechanic is kind of like your coach, and there’s a game plan, race strategy, so it’s a bit like a hockey team. I’m going to try and go as far as I can in auto racing. I’d love to be able to move on to the Nationwide or Sprint series, but it’s going to be very tough. Another dream of mine would be to do the 24 hours of Le Mans.”(Associated Press/ESPN.com)(9-25-2009)
