Brandon Prust gets engaged to TV personality Maripier Morin, then gets traded by Habs
Morin was part of the cast on the Hockey Wives reality-TV show on the W Network this year.
Brandon Prust made one woman in Montreal very happy and has probably left many others in tears.
The heartthrob hockey player announced on Instagram in June that he got engaged to longtime girlfriend Maripier Morin, a French TV personality in Quebec, while vacationing in Italy. Under a photograph of the beautiful couple together, Prust wrote: "Took some convincing but she finally said yes".
Morin was part of the cast on the Hockey Wives reality-TV show on the W Network this year. On a video teaser for the show, Morin explained how her and Prust first started dating.
"I'm from Montreal, where the hockey players don't have really a good reputation," Morin says. "So there was no way I was ever going to date a hockey player. But he was so different. When I met Brandon my English was terrible, but you know the first year you pretty much do one thing and (for) that you don't need to speak."
Bonne fête du Canada! Dernière journée en 🇮🇹 pour nous! #ciaoroma Happy Canada day everyone! Last day in 🇮🇹 for us! pic.twitter.com/tdsgW32fmS
— Maripier Morin (@maripiermorin) July 1, 2015
Thanks for all ur messages, I'm obviously very sad to see my man leave MTL but excited for this new chapter in our life! xxx
Morin also says what she would do if Prust ever cheated on her.
"I would cut his balls off, cut them and make him eat 'em."
She might be even tougher than him.
Morin said her biggest fear was that the Canadiens might trade Prust, who is heading into the final season of a four-year, $10-million contract. Her nightmare came true on Canada Day when the Canadiens traded Prust to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Zack Kassian and a fifth-round pick at the 2016 NHL Draft.
The W network has announced that Rhianna Weaver, the wife of former Canadiens defenceman Mike Weaver, will join the cast for the second season of Hockey Wives, set to premiere in the fall. Singer Keshia Chanté, who is dating Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ray Emery, will also join the show along with returning cast members Morin, Kodette LaBarbera, Tiffany Parros, Noureen DeWulf and Martine Forget.
To see a photo gallery of athlete/celebrity couples, click here.
Below is a column I wrote in 2013 about the growing Brandon Prust Fan Club and how Dale Hunter could be its president:
Prust fan club keeps growing
PUBLISHED ON JAN. 26, 2013
STU COWAN
I have a feeling the lineup to join the Brandon Prust Fan Club is growing in Montreal.
And if you want to get in line, you'll need to stand behind Canadiens coach Michel Therrien and rookies Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher, among others.
But the president of the Brandon Prust Fan Club could be Dale Hunter, the man Canadiens fans loved to hate when he played for the Quebec Nordiques.
Hunter coached Prust when he played junior with the London Knights and still remembers a quote from Prust when he was an 18-year-old walk-on with the team in 2002-03 after being overlooked at the Ontario Hockey League draft.
"I really love the line where he said: 'Put me in and you'll never take me out, coach,'" Hunter recalled over the phone Friday afternoon from Ottawa, where the Knights beat the 67's 11-1 on Thursday to improve their league-leading record to 36-8-3.
"I said: 'OK, Prustie, you're in.' We went into a tough barn in Windsor and he scored and he fought and the rest is history … now he's in the National Hockey League. He's one of those kids that had to prove himself and he's done it again and again. He came to (training) camp and to be noticed he did whatever he could. He fought a few times and stuff ….
"I use him as a speech to my young guys all the time," added Hunter, who is back coaching the Knights after finishing last season behind the Washington Capitals bench. "It doesn't matter if you're a first-round pick or whatever it is … coaches love kids that will do anything for the team. It's not just fighting … he can score big goals for you, he cycles the puck well, he blocks shots and makes big hits to get the team going … he does the little things that all coaches love."
Therrien has been using Prust on a line with Galchenyuk and Gallagher, and while Prust has already dropped the gloves twice, he has also shown he is much more than just a tough guy, setting up Galchenyuk for his first NHL goal while racking up 16 penalty minutes and posting a plus-1 after three games. He definitely brings back memories of former fan favourite Chris Nilan.
Playing with skilled players is nothing new for Prust. When the Knights won the Memorial Cup in 2005, Hunter used him on a line with future Anaheim Ducks star Corey Perry. But in the Cup final against Sidney Crosby and the Rimouski Océanic, Hunter moved Prust to a checking line.
"Prustie did everything to win," Hunter said. "I took him off the top line and he was fine with it … he did whatever was needed for the team. His line played the final game against Sid the Kid and we shut him down and won 4-0.
"He's good enough to play with the top players because he can make plays … and he can protect guys like Corey. He's a unique player and I'm so proud of him … we're all proud of him here (in London) for what he has become.
"He's a great guy. He's one of these guys who has charisma, he makes you laugh and he's a hard-working kid in whatever he does. He trains hard … he's one of those kids you're proud to be around.
"He's great in the dressing room … he's a leader," Hunter added. "I think he'll help that way in the (Canadiens) dressing room … keeping players accountable."
Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin signed Prust to a four-year, $10-million free-agent contract this summer, which might seem like a lot of money for a player who posted 5-12-17 totals last season with the New York Rangers to go along with 156 penalty minutes and a minus-1. But players like Prust are hard to find.
"It's hard to find guys who can actually play and contribute to the team besides fighting and protecting your teammates," Hunter said. "He's one of the unique players who can do both. He's a guy who's worth every penny because of what he brings to the game.
"He can really cycle the puck … and a big part of the game now is cycling and bringing the puck to the net and jamming in goals. He's also a great penalty-killer because he will sacrifice himself. That's what he did with the Rangers and he's very good at it. Teams miss those kind of guys when they're gone … as a team you miss the guys who do the little things to win. The Rangers are going to miss him because he was a big part of that team."
Hunter chuckled when it was mentioned that Prust's good looks could attract a lot of women to his Montreal fan club.
"He's been playing hockey all this time and he hasn't got the nose like I do," Hunter said with a laugh.
And for Canadiens fans who are just getting to know Prust, here's a final message from Hunter:
"He's a heart-and-soul kid … he'll do anything for the team. He puts the team ahead of anything. If the team needs a fight to lift the team he'll do it … if it needs a big hit he'll do it … block a shot … he does the intangibles that coaches love. He's heart and soul … he'll play with the young kids and he'll help them.
"He gives you confidence. We played against him last year in the playoffs against the Rangers … he was doing everything. He would block a shot with his face if it saved a goal … he's that kind of kid. He did that with us here (in London) and he continued it in the National Hockey League.
"Montreal will love him because the fans will see that."
The line forms on the right.
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