Brisebois

	Prospal

"I'm proud to be a Quebecer and I won't accept this kind of thing," Brisebois said.

Prospal, who is Czech, said before his team's Tuesday night game with the Carolina Hurricanes that he did not know the remark was an insult.

"I said it in the heat of the moment," he said. "That was the first thing that come to my mind."

"For the seven years I have been in America, what I learned was every time you make fun of French guys or something you would say that," he added. "I guess I really didn't understand that was a racial comment."

NHL spokesman Frank Brown said the league is investigating. He added that the league has had diversity training session with each club.

Prospal, in his fourth NHL season, said he and Brisebois have a history of clashes. He refused to use Brisebois' name during an interview. Prospal said Brisebois used a throat-slash gesture while walking by him and his wife after a game last year.

"I do apologize to the French Canadian people that may be offended by this comment, but I never will apologize to the one Frenchman who caused all of this controversy," Prospal said.

"I am going to stick to it even though I have probably brought some bad light on the Ottawa Senators team because we have French Canadian players on our team."

Prospal said his French Canadian teammates laughed about the remark.

"I hear from some people that it's a very serious matter, but I am European, so I may not notice it or fully understand what those comments I made did," Prospal said. "But I don't find it as serious as it looks right now. You guys are asking me stuff like I'm some kind of racist. I don't think I am a racist."

Prospal said the exchange occurred after he and Brisebois scuffled last week in front of the net.

"He repeated it. He asked me, 'What am I?'" Prospal said. "I said the same two words back to him again. I said it twice in a row. Twice in like five seconds."

Brisebois said he wanted to report what happened sooner, but he was sidelined with the flu and then was away again while his wife had a baby.

In 1997, Washington Capitals forwards Chris Simon and Craig Berube were suspended for remarks made to black opponents. Last season, Bryan Marchment of San Jose was accused of making a racist slur to Vancouver's Donald Brashear, who is black. Marchment was suspended for one game.

Ottawa coach Jacques Martin, who is French Canadian, considers the matter closed.

"I think the league has gone out and done some training on this, but sometimes in the heat of the battle things like that come out," Martin said. "Sometimes you don't realize the magnitude of what you're saying."