Brisebois: 'I thought Guy Lafleur was back on the ice'

MONTREAL - Being shadowed by Zdeno Chara isn't a pleasant experience.

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Just ask Alex Kovalev, who was the towering defenseman's assignment during the 2008 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal between Montreal and Boston.
Even though some players might lose their cool while being battered by the former Bruins captain, Kovalev did the exact opposite during Game 5 of the series on April 17, electing instead to channel some frustration into a highlight-reel effort midway through the first period at the Bell Centre.
After escaping Chara's clutches near the Bruins bench and winning a puck battle, a now helmetless Kovalev evaded left-winger Peter Schaefer at center ice, made his way into the offensive zone and patiently held onto the biscuit before passing it back to defenseman Roman Hamrlik at the point.
Moments later, the Russian sniper corralled a point shot from blueliner Patrice Brisebois and beat goaltender Tim Thomas on a backhander from the slot to give the Canadiens a 1-0 lead.

During a recent appearance on The Alumni Lounge podcast with host Brisebois and co-host Chantal Desjardins, the 48-year-old Togliatti native and KHL head coach recalled the moments leading up to the memorable postseason tally.
"When you're in the battle, plus every time you play against Boston, Chara was always on top of me. They always put him against me one-on-one. It was always constantly battling, battling. He always elbowed me and did a lot of crazy things," remembered Kovalev. "When I scored that goal, before that, if you see the sequence, he hit me with his elbow. That's the reason why I lost the helmet. When adrenaline kicks in at that moment, when you get hit, the first thing that came to my mind was 'You know what, you did this to me, watch me!'"
It was the only goal the Canadiens scored that night in a 5-1 defeat, but that didn't make the play any less significant for Brisebois, who was awestruck by his teammate's compete level and relentlessness under the circumstances.
The former Habs rearguard still talks about that chain of events with reverence.
"That shift, I thought Guy Lafleur was back on the ice. It was sick," praised Brisebois. "You never stopped. 'I want that puck. I want to score.' That's what I loved about you. That was passion. You tried to make a difference. I know you were putting a lot of pressure on your shoulders because you wanted to make a difference every night."
The Canadiens ultimately won the series in seven games before falling to the Philadelphia Flyers in five games in the next round.
Sign of respect
You wouldn't think that players would seek out matchups against Kovalev at practice for fear of being turned inside out, but that wasn't the case for Brisebois.
He desperately wanted to face the dynamic right-winger before heading into games, even if it meant watching him skate by with ease once in a while.
"I played with Alex for four or five years, and one-on-one, Alex was the strongest guy on his skates. Every practice, I tried to go against Alex because I always said to myself 'If I can stop Alex Kovalev in practice, I can stop anybody in the NHL.' That was the way I was thinking," admitted Brisebois. "It wasn't easy. He was so good. That's what I liked. I always tried to push myself. Sometimes, I looked like a fool, but at least I tried. I think that's the best way to get better and better, to always push yourself and go against the best."
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Brisebois suited up for 1,009 regular season games over the course of his career with Montreal and Colorado, so he played alongside his fair share of studs.
Where does Kovalev rank on his list? He let him know later in the chat.
"In 18 years pro, you were in my top five talented players that I played with. You were an awesome hockey player. When you were on your game, you were the best in the game," said Brisebois. "You were so talented. I saw you so many times in practice with your hands. I'm sure you're still good. You can't lose those hands. They're yours. It was a privilege to play with you."
The Alumni Lounge and Le Salon des Anciens podcasts feature in-depth interviews with some of the organization's most popular players of the past.
The inaugural season of the pod will include 10 episodes, which will alternate languages each week under two separate titles in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and other podcast hosting platforms.
They will also be available as full video episodes on the Canadiens' YouTube channel.