Gerald Joseph Brisson (September 3, 1937 – January 16, 2013) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

left winger. He played 4 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

with the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

during the 1962–63 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1957 to 1970, was spent in the minor leagues. He was born in Saint Boniface, Manitoba. He died at his home in

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley (Phoenix metropolitan area), East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by ...

on January 16, 2013.

Playing career

Signed by the

organization at age 16, Brisson came up through the minor hockey ranks in

St. Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

, Manitoba to star with the

St. Boniface Canadiens The St. Boniface Canadiens was a Manitoba Junior Hockey League team that operated from 1952-1964. The St. Boniface Canadiens won 4 Turnbull Cup Championships as Manitoba Junior Champions, 1953, 1954, 1956, & 1958. The franchise was founded i ...

in the

Manitoba Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...

, and later another Montreal Canadiens farm team, the Peterborough TPT's of the Ontario Junior Hockey Association, where he led the team in scoring with 51 points in 52 games. He started his professional hockey career in 1958 in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL), playing for the

Winnipeg Warriors The Winnipeg Warriors were a junior ice hockey team that played in the Western Hockey League. They were founded as an expansion team in 1980, but suffered from attendance problems competing with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League and ...

where he was one of the league's top rookies, earning 83 points in his first season, and compiling 91 goals and 103 assists in 3 full seasons with the Warriors. He next played for the WHL

Spokane Comets The Spokane Comets were a minor professional ice hockey team that was located in Spokane, Washington. They played in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1958 to 1963. In April 1961, the franchise considered a move to San Francisco in view of the ...

for two seasons, matching his best season with another 83 points and earning a call up to the Montreal Canadiens where he played four games in the 1962-63 season, earning two assists. He made his

(NHL) debut in the

Montreal Forum Montreal Forum (french: Le Forum de Montréal) is a historic building located facing Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the h ...

against the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

. He then went on to play in the WHL for the San Francisco Seals where he won a WHL Championship (1963–64), the

Seattle Totems The Seattle Totems were a professional ice hockey franchise in Seattle, Washington. Under several names prior to 1958, the franchise was a member of the Pacific Coast Hockey League (renamed the Western Hockey League in 1952) between 1944 and 19 ...

and again with the San Francisco Seals. He had a short stint in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL) with the

Quebec Aces The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. History The Aces were founded in 1928 by Anglo-Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, the name Aces stan ...

and led the MSHL St. Boniface Mohawks to a MSHL championship (1968–69) as a player-coach. Brisson was selected to numerous WHL All-star Teams during his career.

Coaching career

After an 11-year career as a professional hockey player, Brisson embarked on a 10-year career as a coach, general manager and

Western Canada Hockey League The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926. The WCHL's Victoria C ...

(WCHL) franchise owner. He began was a player-coach for the St. Boniface Mohawks (1968–69), then coached the

(MJHL)

West Kildonan North Stars The Kildonan North Stars were a Canadian Junior ice hockey Team in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League from Winnipeg, Manitoba. History During the summer of 1967, community-minded sports group purchased the Winnipeg Warriors from Ben Hatskin, rena ...

for one season (1969–70), and made his WCHL coaching debut with the Brandon Wheat Kings (1970–71). Brisson returned to the MJHL for one season to coach the

Winnipeg Monarchs Winnipeg Monarchs is a name used by several Canadian ice hockey teams in Winnipeg, Manitoba and may refer to: *Winnipeg Monarchs (senior), a defunct ice hockey team, 1935 World Ice Hockey Champions *Winnipeg Monarchs (MJHL) The Winnipeg Monarch ...

(1971–72), then back to the WCHL to coach the Winnipeg Junior Jets (1972–73),

Winnipeg Clubs The Winnipeg Monarchs were a junior ice hockey team that played in the Western Canada Hockey League from 1967 to 1977 under three names. The team played as the Winnipeg Jets from 1967 to 1973; the Winnipeg Clubs from 1973 to 1976, and the Winnipe ...

(1973–76),

(1976–77) and finally the

Calgary Wranglers The Calgary Wranglers are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, that began play in the 2022–23 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team plays at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home of their NHL affiliate team, the Calgary Flam ...

(1977–78). Brisson later went on to coach the Innisfil Eagles of the Chinook Hockey League where he won a provincial title in the 1992-93 season.

Owner / builder career

Brisson was an owner in the

(WCHL) for six years. After one year as coach, Brisson bought the Winnipeg Junior Jets in 1972. In order to differentiate from the newly-formed

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

of the WHA, he renamed his team the

(1973–76), and later the

(1976–77). In 1977 he moved the franchise to

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Alberta as the

. He sold the Wranglers franchise in 1979 and retired from hockey to pursue other business interests.

Awards and achievements

* WHL Prairie Division First All-Star Team (1959)

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Coach

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brisson, Gerry 1937 births 2013 deaths Calgary Wranglers coaches Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey right wingers Ice hockey people from Winnipeg Montreal Canadiens players Montreal Royals (QSHL) players People from Saint Boniface, Winnipeg Quebec Aces (AHL) players St. Boniface Canadiens players Seattle Totems (WHL) players Winnipeg Jets (WHL) coaches Winnipeg Monarchs (WHL) coaches Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) players