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Remember Fred Brathwaite? He wants to make an NHL comeback

Fred Brathwaite

Turns out Dominik Hasek isn’t the only old goalie looking to make an NHL comeback this season.

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, former Oilers/Flames/Blues/Blue Jackets goalie Fred Brathwaite wants to return to the NHL this season. At 39 years-old he’s not as old as Hasek, but his reasoning for getting one more shot makes a lot of sense.

“If nothing worked out (with a tryout), there was still wiggle room for me to go back to Europe. People are always getting hurt over there and people are never satisfied with their goaltending. Even just a tryout on my resume here would have opened up more doors for me in Europe.”

Brathwaite hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2003-04 season and since then has spent three years in the KHL, two in the AHL, and four more in the German pro league with Mannheim. He says the impending NHL lockout hurts his chances of landing a job in Europe as NHL goalies will want to play in Europe, thus costing him a shot at a job.

His numbers in Germany the last few seasons have been average, but like he says, he just wants a chance to show what he’s got.