Veteran NHL player aims for a return at 38, signing a Swiss league contract after a prolonged injury layoff.
"Big Game Brass" still believes he has a few big games left in him.
According to a report from former Sens play-by-play man Nicolas St-Pierre, now with the “Dans le Vestiaire” podcast, former Senator Derick Brassard is attempting a pro hockey comeback at the age of 38, signing a one-year contract with Genève-Servette HC in Switzerland.
In June of 2024, Brassard announced his retirement after 1,013 NHL games, 201 of them played in Ottawa. The Gatineau native had two stints here: the first included Ottawa's amazing run to the 2017 Conference Final, where Brassard finished third in team playoff scoring.
But the following season, as the long rebuild began and the Sens began to sell off veterans, Brassard was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, launching a journey of eight NHL team stops in four years. In 2022-23, he returned to Ottawa on a professional tryout and earned a spot on the club.
Brassard played well that season with 38 points in 58 games. Unfortunately, it ended badly.
He suffered a torn ligament in his ankle during the late stages of the 2023 season and was never able to recover enough to make a return. So he's been out of hockey for almost two and a half years.
Brassard was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets sixth overall in 2006 and spent six seasons with the club before being traded to the Rangers. The Sens acquired him from New York in 2017 when they gave up on their 2011 sixth overall draft pick, Mika Zibanejad.
In both of his stints here, Brassard was well-liked by his Ottawa teammates. Drake Batherson still frequently wears the commemorative t-shirt from Brassard's 1000th game under his gear. The fondness the players have for Brassard was vividly on display on Brassard's milestone night in 2023 when they made this special presentation.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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