Foot injury forces Habs' Brisebois to take step back

[Habsfan84]

Patrice Brisebois gave his best effort to stay in the Canadiens lineup, but the veteran defenceman faced up to reality after yesterday's morning skate.
"I can't go," said Brisebois, who has been hobbling since he was struck in the foot by a shot from Marcel Hossa during the third period of Saturday's loss to the New York Rangers.
The puck struck the inside of Brisebois's left foot, but X-rays taken last night showed no sign of fracture.

Brisebois participated in a full 90-minute practice Monday, but was limping as he left the Islanders' practice facility in nearby Syosset. He had another full workout yesterday, but the pain and a lack of mobility ended his chances of playing last night.
"I was okay if I was going straight, but I couldn't pivot," said Brisebois, who had been back in the lineup for three games after missing 11 games with a shoulder injury. "I hope there's nothing broken, but it doesn't feel right."
His absence forced coach Guy Carbonneau to shuffle his lineup. Mark Streit moved back to defence as Roman Hamrlik's partner, while forward Tom Kostopoulos was back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the past two games.
Gervais gets larger role: Injuries have opened new opportunities for Bruno Gervais, the Islanders' 23-year-old defenceman from Longueuil. He is averaging about 20 minutes a game for the season, but he averaged 24:54 during the Islanders' five-game road trip that produced a 2-1-2 record, finishing with a 3-1 win in Ottawa.
"Gervais and (Brendan) Witt have been our best defensive defencemen, and when (Radek) Martinek went down, we used Gervais more," Islanders head coach Ted Nolan said.
"Then, we lost Witt and Gervais became our guy."
Last night, Martinek missed his 11th consecutive game with a bruised right thigh. He'll be out for at least another week. Witt has missed two games with an ankle injury, but is listed as day-to-day after an MRI failed to reveal any major damage.
Versus blackout: You can add the Islanders to the list of folks who don't have Versus, the official U.S. cable TV provider for the NHL. It meant that there were no replays available in the arena last night.
Turmoil in Liverpool: Canadiens owner George Gillett and partner Tom Hicks aren't making many fans on the other side of the pond.
Since buying the Liverpool FC soccer team last February, the duo seems to have moved from one crisis to another. The latest uproar concerns the treatment of manager Rafael Benitez. Hicks recently revealed he and Gillett talked to Jurgen Klinsmann in November.
Hicks said they wanted to get his take on English and European soccer, but they also saw him as an insurance policy in case Benitez left the team.
While Benitez and the new owners have been at odds over player-transfer strategies and other matters, Benitez said he has no intention of walking out on the team. But some observers feel his position has been undermined by the talks with Klinsmann, who since has signed on to manage Bayern Munich.
The latest controversy, combined with delays over financing for a new stadium in Liverpool, has eroded public support for the new owners. The Times of London asked readers whether they thought Gillett and Hicks knew what they were doing and 89.1 per cent said no.