• Jacket, Caruso; Shirt, Robert Graham; Sunglasses, Salvatore Ferragamo
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  • Suit, Elie Tahari; Sweater Vest, Etro; Shirt, Thomas Pink; Tie, Robert Graham; Shoes, Zegna; Eyeglasses, Salvatore Ferragamo
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  • Sweater, John Varvatos; Shirt, Lacoste; Jeans, G-Star; Watch, Alpina
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  • Suit, Caruso; Shirt and Tie, Thomas Pink
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Brandon Prust The Montreal Canadiens’ left wing wears his bruises like a badge of honor

     Playoff hockey can take your breath away, but for Brandon Prust it was a far more painful experience. In the third period of Game Four of an opening-round series between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, Prust felt searing agony in his side after colliding with Senators goaltender Craig Anderson.
     “It hurt to do anything, even breathe,” Prust remembers. Feeling around his ribcage like a piano player searching for the right key, Prust found the troubled rib that had become dislodged from its surrounding cartilage and pushed it back into place while he was in the corridor leading to the Montreal dressing room.
     Prust couldn’t finish the game and had to miss the next contest as the Canadiens season ended. It’s that willingness to pay the price that comes with effort on the ice that has made the 29-year-old left wing a favorite with an often-critical Montreal fan base.
     “You want to be a force on the ice, always bringing energy and a physical presence,’’ says Prust.
     Prust had five goals and 110 penalty minutes in his first season with Montreal, whose followers especially like players wearing the “bleu, blanc et rouge” to be chippy with a touch of scoring touch around the net.
     “You want the other team to know you will be a hardship every time you’re out there,” Prust says.
     That’s certainly been Prust’s mission through six NHL seasons. His path to prominence is directly attributable to a relentless work ethic and an ability to glean the most he can from coaches at every stage of his hockey career.
     Before the Calgary Flames made him a third-round pick in the 2004 draft, Prust had one of the most notorious agitators in NHL history, Dale Hunter, as his coach with his hometown London Knights of the OHL. Prust excelled as he learned perseverance from a coach who was a physical force for 19 NHL seasons.
     “Dale was a big influence,’’ he says. “He really taught me how to be a professional. That experience meant a lot to my career development.”
     Prust built on that confidence and elevated his game after a trade to the New York Rangers in February 2010. He became a favorite of then-Rangers coach John Tortorella—ultimately epitomizing the team’s ‘black and blue’ approach. Prust’s willingness to drop the gloves also made him an instant hero to the boisterous faithful at Madison Square Garden.
     His pugilistic style—and a knack for killing teammates’ penalties, blocking shots and scoring key goals—made Prust an integral part of a squad that came close to reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 2012. But New York ran out of steam against New Jersey in the conference finals, losing in six games.
    “Playing in New York was special because I really had the chance to show what I could do,’’ Prust says. “Torts just let me play and I give him credit for that. He trusted me, he was honest and the bar was always high. I do well with coaches like that and I have another now with Michel Therrien.”
     Prust decided to leave Manhattan when the Canadiens offered a four-year contract worth more than triple what he made with the Rangers per year. The choice became easier since his girlfriend—television talk show host Maripier Morin—is fluent in French and lives in Montreal.
     “With my English and broken French, I can get by but she definitely helps me a lot,’’ Prust says with a laugh. “I can try explaining that I don’t understand what people are saying. But honestly, I don’t have a choice because everyone in Montreal talks hockey all the time.”
     Prust relishes fans greeting him outside the Bell Centre to request an autograph or offer spirited advice on line combinations or improving the power play.
     “I’m grateful because the day will come when I’m not playing and I’ll miss stuff like this,’’ he says. “Montreal is so great because it’s a city where hockey is everything. Plus, I’m at my best when pressure is at a peak.”
     Prust also speaks volumes of teammates who’ve had positive impacts on his life and career.
     “I’ve been fortunate, starting with Jarome Iginla in Calgary and later Chris Drury and Henrik Lundqvist in New York,’’ he says. “Jarome and Chris were captains I really respected and Henrik was inspiring in every way. I loved how he was always competitive, even at practice. You see your goalie battling like that and it rubs off.”
     Prust is eager to get going on a fresh 82-game season as the Canadiens seek their first Stanley Cup since 1993, an exceptionally long drought for the franchise with the most championships in NHL history.
     He had a strong lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, recording his first career three-point game and winning the Jacques Beauchamp-Molson Trophy, an award voted by Montreal media to honor the team's unsung hero.
     As Prust returns briefly to New York City to take part in his AQ photo shoot, fans still stop him on the street, wishing him well, asking if he will come back. “The fans here in New York are incredible,” he says. “They love guys that give it their all.”
     Prust winces as he tries on one of the jackets, still the residue of a separated shoulder he suffered late in the season.
    “Don’t worry about it,” he says, yanking the jacket on in a swift move to shorten the timing of the jolt on his shoulder. “I’m fine.”