MOOSE TRACKS – BRANDON REID
(Reid with billet Joanne Milbury/picture courtesy of Twitter.com)
Brandon Reid is fighting through the most pain he has ever had to deal with in his 13-year professional hockey career. Reid is back at home in Montreal, rehabbing a brutal sounding injury that occurred last October while playing with CSKA Moscow of the KHL.
“I ran into the boards like on my back, feet first and did the splits pretty much and tore across my lower abdomen, both groins and fractured my pubic bone,” he said.
Needless to say that effectively ended his first season in the Kontinental Hockey League.
“I tried to come back, but I got hurt again. It just wasn’t strong enough.”
Team doctors in Russia initially diagnosed him with only a bruise. Six games later, Reid knew something wasn’t right.
“I wanted the best care possible, so I flew myself to Toronto and to Switzerland to do some rehab and to see some good doctors… get a real prognosis.”
As scary as the misdiagnosis was, he is able to laugh while looking back at it now.
“I was like I can usually play through a bruise let’s go, give me a coupe pain-killers.”
Is there a chance you will return to the KHL?
“There’s a chance, but as of right now my first priority is to get healthy. I’m getting offers but I haven’t signed anything yet.”
He says despite the injury, he otherwise enjoyed his time playing in Moscow.
“I actually loved it, the hockey part was great because Sergei Federov as our GM, and our coaches John Torchetti and Sergei Zubov were excellent. We obviously had some people who really know hockey.”
Reid’s professional career has taken him to many places across the globe, including stops in Hamburg & Dusseldorf Germany, Rapperswil, Switzerland and Moscow.
He is married to journalist Jessica Scott-Reid of Winnipeg, who has an extensive resume to her credit.
“I met her when I was playing for the Manitoba Moose seven years ago. We actually met about 3 months before I was set to leave for Europe and I said you coming? She said yes, and the rest is history,” Reid says with a smile.
The couple are huge dog lovers, and in addition to the two they already own, they’ve also started to foster other dogs.
Reid had a pair of stints with the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL, including an exciting playoff run in 2003 where he played a key role as an energy player.
“It was an amazing experience I mean players chase the chance to play in a Game 7 their whole career and I think I’ve been chasing that since then.”
The 33-year-old says his tenure with the Halifax Mooseheads holds a special place in his heart, and is quick to point out how important his billets Joanne and the late Earl Milbury were to him.
“They pretty much changed my career for the better and took me from a kid and taught me how to be a man.”
He said he was able to visit Joanne recently in Ottawa.
“I went to go see here there because that’s where she lives now, to be near her kids. Unfortunately Earl passed away last year and I wasn’t able to be there for the funeral.”
It’s safe to say Brandon is clearly one of the all-time favourite players in Mooseheads history. In fact, it seems he’s a fan favourite no matter where he plays.
“I don’t know, I guess maybe because I’m a smaller player and I work hard so I kind of fall into that blue-collar zone and people like that.”
He says the Mooseheads organization taught him to always respect the fans.
“Signing autographs and doing a little extra to show your appreciation for them. They got us to do that sort of thing in Halifax and I’ve brought that with me throughout my career.”
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