Benoît Brunet

Benoît Brunet
Born	(1968-08-24) August 24, 1968 Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	184 lb (83 kg; 13 st 2 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Montreal Canadiens Dallas Stars Ottawa Senators
NHL draft	27th overall, 1986 Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1988–2002

Joseph Jean Luc Benoît Brunet (French pronunciation: [ʒozɛf ʒɑ̃ lyk bənwa bʁynɛ]; born August 24, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round, 27th overall, of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

After playing three seasons for the Hull Olympiques of the QMJHL, Brunet made his professional debut with the American Hockey League's Sherbrooke Canadiens in the 1988–89 season. He also made his NHL debut with Montreal that same season, appearing in two games and recording one assist.

Brunet became a fixture on the Canadiens' roster, playing with them until the 2001–02 season. He became a favorite of the hometown fans due to his local roots and path to the NHL as well as his work as a defensive forward which made him a constant on the team's penalty killing unit. During the 2001–02 season, he was traded to the Dallas Stars, along with Martin Ručinský, in exchange for Donald Audette and Shaun Van Allen. Brunet appeared in 32 games with the Stars before being traded again, this time to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Brunet finished the season with Ottawa, and retired afterward.

In his NHL career, Brunet appeared in 539 games. He scored 101 goals and added 161 assists. He also appeared in 54 playoff games, scoring five goals and adding 20 assists. He was a member of the Canadiens team that won the Stanley Cup in 1993.

Colour commentator

A few years after his retirement, Brunet was hired as a colour commentator for the French-language sports network RDS for NHL games that did not involve the Montreal Canadiens. For the 2008-09 season he was promoted as the main colour commentator alongside play-by-play man Pierre Houde for all Montreal Canadiens games, replacing longtime veteran Yvon Pedneault.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1984–85	Lac St-Louis Lions	QMAAA		4	2	5	7	6		7	1	2	3
1985–86	Hull Olympiques	QMJHL		71	33	37	70	81		15	5	14	19	33
1986–87	Hull Olympiques	QMJHL		60	43	67	110	105		6	7	5	12	8
1987–88	Hull Olympiques	QMJHL		62	54	89	143	131		10	3	10	13	11
1988–89	Sherbrooke Canadiens	AHL		73	41	76	117	95		6	2	0	2	4
1988–89	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		2	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Sherbrooke Canadiens	AHL		72	32	35	67	82		12	8	7	15	20
1990–91	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL		24	13	18	31	16		6	5	6	11	2
1990–91	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		17	1	3	4	0		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL		6	7	9	16	27		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		18	4	6	10	14		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		47	10	15	25	19		20	2	8	10	8
1993–94	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		71	10	20	30	20		7	1	4	5	16
1994–95	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		45	7	18	25	16		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL		3	2	1	3	6		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		26	7	8	15	17		3	0	2	2	0
1996–97	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		39	10	13	23	14		4	1	3	4	4
1997–98	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		68	12	20	32	61		8	1	0	1	4
1998–99	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		60	14	17	31	31		—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		50	14	15	29	13		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		35	3	11	14	12		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		16	0	2	2	4		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Dallas Stars	NHL		32	4	9	13	8		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Utah Grizzlies	AHL		5	3	1	4	6		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Ottawa Senators	NHL		13	5	3	8	0		12	0	3	3	0
AHL totals				183	98	140	238	232		24	15	13	28	26
NHL totals				539	101	161	262	229		54	5	20	25	32

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database