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Veteran enforcer Brashear signs in Swedish League

Washington Capitals v New York Rangers

Washington Capitals v New York Rangers

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From the “didn’t see that coming” file: Donald Brashear, the longtime NHL enforcer with 2,634 career PIM on his resume, has signed with MODO of the Swedish Hockey League, the club announced on Tuesday.

The move is a bit of a stunner considering 1) Brashear is 42, 2) was doing MMA as recently as 2011, and 3) hasn’t played professionally since the 2009-10 campaign, which he split between the Rangers and their AHL affiliate in Hartford.

His most recent games have been played in the Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey, a semi-pro circuit based out of Quebec that’s known for its pugilistic ways.

Brashear does have a connection to MODO, one of the most storied franchises in the Swedish League. The club’s assistant GM is Peter Forsberg, who was Brashear’s teammate in Philadelphia during the 2005-06 campaign. Based on a rough translation of this article, Forsberg is looking for Brashear to bring a “physical game” and “security” to Modo, which currently employs the likes of William Nylander (Toronto’s first-round pick, 8th overall, at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft) and veteran NHLer Samuel Pahlsson, who won a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007.