All That Matters Is His Smile

This image of Donald Brashear is the only thing that matters. For a guy who rarely smiled while going about his business on the frozen surface of whatever rink he found himself in, Donald Brashear's smile today is all that matters. For those who may have missed the story, Catherine Bouchard of Le Journal de Québec wrote a piece last week about Donald Brashear working in a Montreal Tim Hortons restaurant that caused a stir on social media from anyone who knew of Brashear's NHL career. While people may be entitled to their opinions, casting any sort of negative opinion about Donald Brashear needs to stop here and now. If your son, daughter, nephew, niece, husband, or wife can work there, why is it so surprising to see Donald Brashear working there as he transitions into everyday life after a professional hockey career?

Miss Bouchard did make mention of Brashear's recent troubles with the law in her article, and that's entirely true. Like anyone who has had trouble with the fuzz, though, it's likely no fun. In some cases, judges are likely to establish some sort of probation conditions, and it's likely that having a regular job is one of those conditions. Donald Brashear is working at a Tim Hortons because that's what he has to do just like you and I get up in the morning and head to our jobs.

What shocked me most is that Miss Bouchard wrote that former Canadiens teammate and owner of the Tim Hortons franchise Pierre Sevigny preferred "not to make waves with this hiring," seemingly making this hiring a quiet thing as to not draw attention to Brashear's presence at the restaurant. While that's virtually impossible as most hockey fans know who Brashear is, Miss Bouchard went ahead and drew attention to Brashear's hiring by publishing her article complete with the address of the restaurant and with a photo of Brashear standing in the drive-thru window. Wouldn't this be the opposite of what Sevigny wanted in trying to help his former teammate and friend?

"He's an employee, that's all. We have just started, he is here to help me," Sevigny told Miss Bouchard.

Honestly, while I understand that Miss Bouchard has a job to do, she just made Pierre Sevigny's life more difficult as there will likely be an increase of people who will frequent his restaurant to try and catch a glimpse of Donald Brashear in a Tim Hortons uniform. Sevigny indicated he didn't want to publicize his hiring of Brashear, and I respect Sevigny for doing that in trying to keep Brashear's personal problems private while he works to sort out everything out.

For me, I'm writing about this because I struggle to understand why people marvel at a player who is transitioning into everyday life. As an example, Wayne Babych comes into my work on occasion, and he's treated like every other customer who walks in: with courtesy, respect, and gratefulness for his business. He's not former 50-goal scorer Wayne Babych; rather, he's there to conduct business and is treated as a valued customer. There are some older employees who whisper about having the former NHLer in the office, but there's an understanding that he's there to do business, not sign autographs.

Let Donald Brashear work. Don't marvel over him like he's some sort of spectacle. He's just a regular guy working a regular shift at a regular job. Yes, he played in the NHL, but he's putting his post-career life together as best he can. He just needs to be treated like a regular guy - not a criminal, not an NHL star - as he makes that transition into everyday life.

Brashear deserves a chance to find his smile again, and here's hoping that the work being offered by Sevigny helps Brashear find that grin again. After 1025 NHL games where he was often the most intimidating guy on the ice, I want him to see him happy as he figures out this thing called life. He deserves that much from us.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!