The video of the DUI arrest of an NHL coach has been released. Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 in South Florida obtained the video of New Jersey Devils associate coach Andrew Brunette being arrested and charged with driving under the influence while on a golf cart. Brunette never came to a complete stop when being pulled over by police and was seen telling officers, “I’m gonna call my lawyer” immediately after starting an inebriation test, per Golf Digest.
Brunette was pulled over in the Deerfield Beach area in Florida back in February. Along with DUI, Brunette was charged with two counts of disobeying a stop or yield sign. He posted a $500 bond and was later released. In a statement, the Devils said they are aware of Brunette’s arrest and were gathering information at the time, according to ESPN.
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Brunette, 49, just finished his first season with the Devils after spending the 2021-22 season as the interim coach of the Florida Panthers. He took over as head coach when Joel Quenneville resigned for his connection to a 2010 Chicago Blackhawks sexual abuse scandal. The Panthers fired Brunette after the team lost in the second round of the playoffs. It was an interesting move considering the Panthers finished the regular season with the most points in the league.
In November, Brunette talked about making the transition to New Jersey. “I think any time you change it always takes a little bit of time,” he said, per NHL.com. “But I’ve been fortunate to be around some pretty good people and some familiarity with some of the guys in the organization. It has kind of made it pretty easy to come in. But any time you change … I think moving team to team so many different times over my playing career, it’s always a little bit of an adjustment period.”
Brunette, who spent 16 seasons as an NHL player, also talked about his future. “I’m just taking it day by day,” he stated. “I’m trying to learn. I’m lucky to have been around some great coaches and be with Lindy [Ruff] here in Jersey. He’s won 800-plus games which is an unbelievable accomplishment. I think I’m just eyes wide open. I need to get better as a coach and learning from some of the best has allowed me to really take what they do and apply it. I’m just a sponge right now, trying to take it all in.”
