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Although news of GM Lightning's resignation from Steve Yzerman has been a shock to many, BriseBois is not expecting much change under his leadership.
"Once we finish this announcement, things will go as usual for the Tampa Bay Lightning," said BriseBois.
[RELATED:[RELATED:[ENRELATION:[RELATED:Yzerman steps down as GM of Lightning]
This case, starting with the opening of training camp on Thursday, remains the pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
The Lightning came close in eight seasons under Yzerman, losing in six games against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2015 Stanley Cup final and the Washington Capitals in seven games in the Eastern Conference final. last season. bump. Tampa Bay is one of the favorites to compete for the Cup this season, and BriseBois, who is preparing for the occasion for 17 years, does not consider Yzerman's departure as an obstacle.
"The name of the game is winning," he said. "You have to win If anything, at least we are built to win now."
BriseBois, 41, has long been considered a future GM. Yzerman, who was appointed GM's senior advisor to spend more time with his family in Detroit, was aware when he hired him as an assistant in 2010.
Unlike Yzerman, who won the Cup three times as captain of the Detroit Red Wings and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, BriseBois is not a former player. Yzerman said that he did not think it mattered.
"Playing in the background does not guarantee anything," he said. "You have instinct, you learn, you work hard and you take it in. In the end, he has good instincts."
While BriseBois was studying at the Faculty of Law of the University of Montreal, he never dreamed that he would be a GM in the NHL.
"My project at the law school was to be a tax lawyer," he said.
Video: Yzerman resigns, name of Lightning BriseBois new GM
As a lawyer at Heenan Blaikie in Montreal, BriseBois made his professional sports debut by representing NHL and Major League Baseball teams in salary arbitration cases and tips at contractual negotiations. He joined the Montreal Canadiens as Director of Legal Affairs in 2001.
BriseBois was promoted to Director of Hockey Operations in 2003 when he was 26 years old. In 2006, he became Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the American Hockey League team in Hamilton. He joined the Lightning in 2010 as Yzerman's assistant and general manager of the Tampa Bay AHL team, which was then in Norfolk and moved to Syracuse in 2012.
One of BriseBois' first moves with the Lightning was to hire Jon Cooper as Norfolk coach. Cooper, who won the American Hockey League championship with Green Bay in 2009-2010, coached Norfolk to the Calder Cup in 2011-2012 before being promoted to the Tampa Bay coaching position. March 25, 2013.
"Julien gave me my first crack to the pro [hockey]Cooper said, "He was the guy who found me in Green Bay one way or another and we followed the interview process and he believed in me. enough to hire me. This is a big step forward for someone who has no professional experience. "
After Cooper was hired by the Lightning, Syracuse continued to excel, losing in the finals of the Calder Cup in 2013 and 2017, and has developed a number of NHL players, including Lightning forwards. Nikita Kucherov, Yanni Gourde and Brayden Pointand goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy. Throughout the rise of BriseBois, his intelligence and commitment stood out.
"Julien spent a lot of time in Syracuse," said former Syracuse radio announcer Dan Duva, currently alongside the Vegas Golden Knights. "He was not on every road trip, but he wanted to stay with the team.He was working in the coach's office in Syracuse and sometimes we saw him coaching. in the gym after the players leave. " The same day, we could see the routine: very focused on the details, very direct, very professional. "
Video: Julien BriseBois appointed General Manager of Lightning
BriseBois's reputation throughout the NHL has increased and has attracted the interest of other teams, but none has been able to distract him from Tampa Bay. BriseBois credited the owner of Yzerman and Lightning, Jeff Vinik, for this.
"They made it very difficult, both in my treatment and in the decision-making process," said BriseBois. "I had the impression of contributing, and I felt like I had a voice in our decisions, and many of those decisions were delegated to me."
That prepared BriseBois for this next step. Although he is the NHL's third-youngest general manager behind John Chayka, 29, of the Arizona Coyotes and Kyle Dubas, 32, of the Toronto Maple Leafs, BriseBois has paid his dues.
"If you want to create a program to become a prominent leader, Julien followed it: study, observe, get experiences, learn, shop around smart people," said Craig Button, analyst at TSN and first contact with BriseBois. when he was dealing with cases of wage arbitration. "He's never been in a race to get to yesterday, he's been in a place where he wants to go, ready to be very good, I do not doubt he'll be superb."
Main photo courtesy of Scott Audette / Lightning Tampa Bay
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