Montreal defenseman Brisebois retires

MONTREAL, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Veteran Montreal defenseman Patrice Brisebois retired Thursday after 18 seasons in the National Hockey League.

Brisebois, a Montreal native, played in the 1,000th game of his career last season.

"He can hang up his skates today knowing that he had a great career and he was lucky to experience all that he did over the years," right wing Guillaume Latendresse said on the team's Web site.

Brisebois, 38, was a second-round pick (30th overall) by the Canadiens in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft and also played for the Colorado Avalanche in the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

He finishes with 420 points (98 goals, 322 assists) in 1,009 contests and received the Jean Beliveau Trophy from the Canadiens' Children Foundation after his announcement Thursday night at the Bell Centre.