Donald Brashear was born on January 7, 1972 in Bedford, Indiana. His mother was Canadian and his father was African American. Once his parents divorced, his mother moved away and he stayed with his father. His father was a very abusive alcoholic and as a result he was sent to live with his mother. Unfortunately, his stepfather had the same problem and Brashear spent the first eight years of his life moving from home to home. Once he was set in a stable foster home, Brashear found a love and passion for hockey at age eight.
Don Brashear didn’t know how to skate so he learned so that he could play the sport he loved. He raised his own money to put himself through skating and hockey classes. Since his foster parents had four boys who were also interested in playing hockey, Brashear had to earn the money himself. He went door to door selling baked goods, garbage bags and eventually became a paper boy.
Don’s hockey career was full of trade-offs. He started in Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League with the Ste-Foy Gouverneurs. In 1992, he signed with the Montreal Canadians. He helped the team clean-up a very rough start for the season and lead them to the playoffs. Even though Brashear helped bring the team back, he and the coach Mario Tremblay were at odds. An argument exploded between the two and he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 1996.
He advanced while with the Canucks but in the 2000 NHL season he suffered a severe blow to his head with a hockey stick. Brashear’s head bounced off the ice and he suffered concussions and memory lapses. After a full recovery he returned to the game and scored 28 points. Since then he has been traded twice and now resides with the Washington Capitols.
