The white Dodge Avenger, trimmed with orange and grey, came roaring down the track at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve yesterday and came to a halt in front of a crowd.

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"As a player or fan, there are a lot of people wondering why (the Habs) made all those changes," Patrice Brisebois says.

Photograph by : Montreal Gazettte

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Patrice Brisebois then pumped the gas to send the loud engine roaring a couple of extra times - for effect.

As entrances go, it was a show-stopper. And maybe it symbolized the former Canadiens defenceman's exit from the game that has been his life, and his entrance into a new world - NASCAR racing.

The 38-year-old hasn't announced his retirement from the National Hockey League. He hasn't even made a decision. But as longtime RDS hockey announcer Pierre Houde said yesterday, he's right on the doorstep.

At this point, there are no offers.

"I'm not waiting," Brisebois said. "I don't absolutely have to play hockey. It's no longer about that. But I continue to train, and if a team says, 'We want to give you another chance,' I'd love to have another season."

The last time Brisebois talked to Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey was just prior to the opening of the free-agent signing period. Nothing since then.

"It's not that it's over (with the Canadiens), but there's a good chance it is," Brisebois said. "With the recent signings, there's not much room on defence, so you just turn the page. It's not personal. I have so much respect for Bob, all he did for me, he brought me back here and gave me another chance.

"Hockey is business, and I think I did a good job," he added. "The rest, it's not me that decides."

Whatever happens, Brisebois will turn his attention to his other passion for the rest of the summer.

He raced in the amateur Ferrari Challenge for five years. But after purchasing a NASCAR Canadian Tire

Series car, he'll race professionally in two races, in Trois Rivieres on Aug. 16 and on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve two weeks later.

Brisebois is combining those races with a fundraising effort for the Dreams Take Flight charity, an initiative by Air Canada employees that sends planeloads of physically and mentally challenged children to Disney World every year. So far, more than 2,500 Quebec kids - and more than 20,000 across the country - have hung with Mickey and Goofy.

It's often said of pro athletes that the toughest thing about retirement is losing that buzz, that rush of adrenaline that comes from competing at the highest level, before thousands of people. Certainly, auto racing could provide that rush, something Brisebois is quite aware of.

But at this point, it's still a part-time passion. He still has hockey on his mind.

Brisebois works out every day at the gym - whether it's for hockey, or driving, or both. But he has yet to step on the ice. When he does, he'll get the itch again, be prepared to make the sacrifices a long NHL season takes. Or he may not. In the meantime, he has certainly kept an eye on what his former team has done in the offseason. And he's scratching his head.

"When I came back two years ago, they were talking about the future of the organization being the young guys - (Christopher) Higgins, (Mike) Komisarek, (Josh) Gorges, (Carey) Price. And two years later, you trade guys, lose Mike to free agency. And a guy like (Alex) Kovalev - who loved to play here, and I think the fans really liked him - they didn't sign him," Brisebois said.

"Did they really need (to change the chemistry)? I really have no idea, for real. As a player or fan, there are a lot of people wondering why they made all those changes. But they made decisions, and they're going with them."