Who Wore It Best: #71
Today’s sweater breakdown has two very different players donning the #71 in Avalanche history.
Patrice Brisebois: ’05-’07; 113 GP, 11-38-49, 77 PIMs
A second-round pick of Montreal back in 1989, Brisebois had a 14-year run (and Stanley Cup) with the Habs before arriving in Denver after the lockout in ’04-’05. He didn’t leave Montreal as a popular player and his two-year deal in Colorado was derided by many. Still, his initial season with the Avs saw a career high 38-point campaign and two rounds of playoff action under then coach Joel Quenneville. Back problems severely limited his availability and play in season two. Always a risky player, the offensive-defenseman wrapped up his two-year stint in Denver and then re-upped with Montreal for two years before calling it a career and moving on to NASCAR.
Borna Rendulic: ’14-’16;14 GP, 1-1-2, 6 PIMs
The undrafted Rendulic signed a two-year entry-level deal with Colorado following an outstanding 2013-2014 season with HPK of the Liiga. He with Lake Erie in the AHL (8 points) but did see action in Denver where he amassed 11 NHL games in the ’14-’15 season when the injury bug struck the parent club. In doing so, he became the first Croatian-born and trained player in the National. The big-bodied forward spent most of his time on the 4th line, but wasn’t able to become an NHL regular in his two seasons. Following the ’15-’16 season spent primarily in San Antonio (38 points), he opted to stay in North America with the Canucks, again spending most of his time in the AHL, this time with Utica. He dressed for one NHL game for Vancouver before heading back overseas to play with the Lahti Pelicans of the Liiga. 2017-2018 saw him with the KHL’s HC Vityaz.
Put on your thinking caps, sports fans. This one is crucial, who wore #71 best?
[qsm quiz=89]
