By Kris Smith
The 6-foot-5-inch tall, Canadian-Italian is a standout on the ice and not just from his physical stature but from his experienced play, skilful hands and expert reading of the game, however Josh last week revealed he and his wife Rhiannon are expecting their first child.
After dropping back to defence to help cover for the injured Kris Inglis, Brittain has been producing some big numbers lately and like the rest of the team, he has put in a number of solid performances that have taken the Stars on a dazzling run of form, which saw them string together five wins in a row.
Then to top off a successful week as the Stars defeated Guildford Flames in back-to-back games, the 33-year-old announced to his teammates that he and Rhiannon are to become parents.
Looking back on a big few weeks for himself and his family, Josh said: “It has been a fantastic past couple of weeks.
“Announcing that I am going to be a father is exciting and all the boys have come together and supported me, we have a really close-knit group here already and we are looking to build off of everything we have achieved in the last few weeks.
“The good momentum, the good vibes and obviously everyone is playing well but also, we are playing well as a team and for a full 60 minutes.
“All around it has been a great few weeks.”
When the Stars lost first blueliner, Sean Allen to a short-term injury and then Inglis, Brittain was slotted back into the defensive ranks by Head Coach, Marc LeFebvre.
Discussing the transition, Brittain added: “It is a new challenge that has presented itself, Marc has really relied on me to go back there and play defence.
“It is something we had talked about and it was Marc’s idea to put me back there and I have tried my best to fit in back there, provide some stability and maybe a little bit of offence and playmaking as well.
“Although, I am just focusing on being quick to defend and make sure we get out of our zone quickly, get up on the rush and get the puck in their zone.
“It has been a lot of fun but also really challenging and I have really enjoyed it.”
With the Stars excellent run of form catapulting them up the table to as high as second and now sitting currently third, the native of Milton, Ontario has spoken about the potential he sees in this team.
Josh said: “We have won seven of the last nine, so the momentum is rolling our way but it is a matter of not getting too high.
“We need keep even keel, remember all the things we do to make ourselves successful but at the same time, we want to send a message to the rest of the league and show them that we are a good team, we have skill and we have grit.
“We have all the attributes of a championship team in this locker room and we just have to keep growing together every single day and keep putting the pieces together.”
Everyone at the Tade-Mart Dundee Stars would like to congratulate Josh and Rhiannon once again!
You can watch Josh and the rest of the Stars in action on Wednesday night as they welcome Cardiff Devils to the DIA, get your tickets HERE!
Watch the moment Josh revealed the news to his teammates below!
