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Pat Brisson

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Pat Brisson
Born (1965-01-22) January 22, 1965 (age 60)
Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada
Alma materUniversity of Ottawa
OccupationSports Agent

Pat Brisson (born January 22, 1965) is a Canadian National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) agent and co-head of the Hockey Division of Creative Artists Agency with partner J.P. Barry.[1] He is also the father of the New York Rangers prospect Brendan Brisson. Brisson is known for his influence in the National Hockey League (NHL), particularly for representing high-profile players and negotiating high-value contracts.

Playing career

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Brisson enjoyed a successful junior hockey career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), averaging over a point per game with the Verdun Juniors, Drummondville Voltigeurs and Hull Olympiques, where he played for future NHL coach Pat Burns and with NHL great Luc Robitaille.[2] Brisson later played hockey professionally in Europe for the Tilburg Trappers in the Netherlands[3] under coach Lou Vairo, who was also the head coach of the U.S. Olympic hockey team in 1984.[4]

Early career

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Brisson moved to Los Angeles in 1987. He co-founded Ice Specialty Entertainment with business partner Robitaille, which played a major role in the creation of the first Iceoplex skating facility. He was an important figure in the development of practice spaces for NHL teams, with locations in both Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, the practice homes for the LA Kings and the Pittsburgh Penguins, respectively.[5] In 1990, he produced the documentary Mario Lemieux: The Magnificent.[4]

Agent career

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In 1992, Brisson began his career as a hockey agent, initially working alongside Tom and Steve Reich.[6] In 2001, Brisson joined IMG, where he co-managed alongside JP Barry until 2006. While at IMG he represented players including Sidney Crosby. In 2006, he co-founded CAA Hockey with JP Barry.[7]

Brisson's client roster includes several prominent players such as Hart Memorial Trophy and Art Ross Trophy winners Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Anže Kopitar, and Jonathan Toews.[8] During the 2014 off-season, he negotiated matching eight-year, $84 million contracts for Chicago Blackhawks teammates Kane and Toews, the highest average annual value of any contract at the time since the introduction of the NHL's salary cap in 2005.[9] Additionally, in 2022 Brisson negotiated an eight-year, $100.4 million contract for Nathan MacKinnon which made him the highest-paid player in the league at the time.[10]

Brisson also represented Jack Eichel during his dispute with the Buffalo Sabres over a neck injury, which became one of the most complicated in the NHL's history.[11][12] Shortly after hiring Brisson, Eichel was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, where he underwent the artificial disk replacement surgery that had been denied by the Buffalo Sabres, allowing him to return to play.[13][14][15]

Client roster

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Over the course of his career, he has represented numerous Hockey Hall of Fame inductees including Mario Lemieux, along with Tom and Steve Reich, Luc Robitaille, Chris Chelios, Sergei Fedorov, Rob Blake, Marty Brodeur, and Roberto Luongo.[16][17] Since 2005, Brisson has represented nine first-overall selections in the NHL Entry Draft, including Sidney Crosby (2006), Erik Johnson (2007), Patrick Kane (2007), John Tavares (2009), Nathan MacKinnon (2013), Auston Matthews (2016), Jack Hughes (2019), Owen Power (2021), and Macklin Celebrini (2024).[18] Brisson is the agent for the Hughes brothers - Quinn, Jack, and Luke - who were all top 10 draft picks in their respective drafts.[19][20] Brisson also represents Gavin McKenna who has been projected since 2023 to most likely be taken first overall for the 2026 NHL entry draft.[21]

In the 2021 NHL draft, CAA Hockey, led by Brisson represented 10 of the 31 first round draft picks.[22]

Awards and recognition

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In 2021, Brisson was named the 13th most powerful agent in all of sports by Forbes.[23] Brisson was named the 10th most powerful and influential person in hockey and the #1 ranked hockey agent in 2023 by The Hockey News.[24] In 2024, the Vancouver Sun named Brisson as the most productive agent in hockey,[25] and Sports Illustrated described him as "the league's premier agent."[26]

As of 2025, he had negotiated over $1.5 billion in contracts for the players he represents.[23] The Hollywood Reporter did a piece on Brisson titled "A Day in the Life of CAA's Very own Jerry MacGuire", covering his influence in the sports and entertainment industries.[27]

Hockey career statistics

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1982–83 Verdun Juniors QMJHL 61 6 24 30 35 7 0 0 0 5
1983–84 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 61 24 44 68 70 10 5 3 8 17
1984–85 Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL 64 45 41 86 76 9 1 6 7 14
1985–86 Hull Olympiques QMJHL 59 37 46 83 73 15 14 18 32 37

References

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  1. ^ "Hockey | CAA". www.caa.com. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  2. ^ "Pat Brisson: Still in the game". Hockeyplayer.com. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  3. ^ "Dustin Jeffrey tekent in Zagreb". IJshockey Nederland. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
  4. ^ a b Duhatschek, Eric (2018-11-14). "Duhatschek: How Pat Brisson went from washing cars and crashing on couches to being hockey's top agent". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  5. ^ "Iceoplex". Iceoplex. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  6. ^ "Brisson lets clients know he's with them, not Canadiens". Sports Business Journal. 2025-05-11. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  7. ^ "CAA Adds Former IMG Hockey Bosses Pat Brisson, J.P. Barry". Sports Business Journal. 2025-05-11. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  8. ^ "Labor and Agents: Inside Pat Brisson's high-altitude dealmaking on NHL draft day". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  9. ^ "Kane: 'Not even a thought' to leave Chicago". ESPN.com. 2014-07-16. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
  10. ^ Baugh, Peter. "Nathan MacKinnon's record contract with Avalanche is 'about being here forever'". The Athletic. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  11. ^ "Report: Eichel switching agents amid dispute with Sabres - TSN.ca". TSN. The Canadian Press. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
  12. ^ "Reports: Eichel swaps reps amid Sabres dispute". ESPN.com. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
  13. ^ Gentille, Sean; Custance, Craig. "Bill Daly Q&A: Seattle's launch, Pat Brisson's impact on Jack Eichel, ESPN vs. TNT and talks with Robin Lehner". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
  14. ^ Staff, Sportsnet (2021-11-04). "Golden Knights acquire Jack Eichel in blockbuster trade with Sabres". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
  15. ^ "Jack Eichel leads the way in NHL for disk replacement surgeries". NBC Sports. 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
  16. ^ "NHL great Robitaille to hang up skates". ESPN.com. 2006-04-10. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  17. ^ "Fedorov leaves Capitals, signs deal in Russia". ESPN.com. 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  18. ^ Gordon, Sean. "How agents experience the journey to the NHL draft from early recruiting to the first contract". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
  19. ^ Bamford, Tab. "Kane and Toews' Agent Pat Brisson Drives the NHL Star Market Beyond Chicago". www.bleachernation.com. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  20. ^ Roustan, W. Graeme (July 28, 2021). "CAA POSTS RECORD FIRST ROUND AT NHL DRAFT". The Hockey News.
  21. ^ "Is Gavin McKenna going WHL or NCAA? Ex-Canuck Byron Ritchie helping him decide".
  22. ^ "Dylan Larkin's abruptly makes a decision that will impact his next contract". Bladeofsteel. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  23. ^ a b "Pat Brisson". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  24. ^ "THE HOCKEY NEWS' PEOPLE OF POWER AND INFLUENCE 2023: PAT BRISSON". The Hockey News. February 9, 2023.
  25. ^ Mayenknecht, Tom (August 23, 2024). "Hockey super agents at CAA reign supreme, while MLB Blue Jays and Mariners suffer". Vancouver Sun.
  26. ^ "NHL Agent's Career Earnings Hit Unreal Number". Break Away ON SI. 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  27. ^ "A Day in the Life of CAA's Very Own Jerry Maguire | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
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