Brian Bradley (ice hockey, born 1965)

Brian Bradley
Born	(1965-01-21) January 21, 1965 (age 59) Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Right
Played for	Calgary Flames Vancouver Canucks Toronto Maple Leafs Tampa Bay Lightning
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	51st overall, 1983 Calgary Flames
Playing career	1986–1998

Brian Richard Walter Bradley (born January 21, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Bradley played for a number of different hockey teams in many different leagues. He played for the London Knights in the early 1980s before being selected 51st overall, in the 3rd round, by the Calgary Flames at the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. Bradley spent a season with the Canadian national team before moving to the National Hockey League (NHL) for good.

Playing career

As a youth, Bradley played in the 1978 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Kitchener, Ontario. ^[1]

Brian Bradley's NHL debut came in the 1985–86 season with the Calgary Flames, where he saw very limited action (only 5 regular season games and one playoff game), although his first playoff game was during the 1986 Stanley Cup Finals against the Montreal Canadiens. He would spend most of the season with the Moncton Golden Flames (Calgary's minor league team), where he was linemates with future superstar Brett Hull.

In 1988, after arriving back from playing with Canadian National Men's Hockey Team, where he spent most of the 1986–87 NHL season playing, Bradley was traded to the Vancouver Canucks. During the 1989 playoffs, Bradley would tie rookie Trevor Linden with a team-leading 7 points in seven games. His best regular season totals with the Canucks came in the 1989–90 season when he scored a team respectable 48 points and was awarded The Canucks' "Most Exciting Player Award" by Canuck fans. He started out the 1990–91 season playing strongly, only to be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for mobile defenceman Tom Kurvers.

In 1992, the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning acquired him in the 1992 NHL Expansion Draft, and he would become the team's first star. He would score the team's first preseason goal against the Minnesota North Stars. He would set personal highs in goals, assists and points before the All-Star Break. At the end of Tampa Bay's inaugural season, Bradley led the team with a career high 42 goals and 86 points. He played well enough throughout the season that he also made his NHL All-Star debut. In 1995–96 he set a personal high of 56 assists. That same year the Lightning debuted in the NHL playoffs. The next season (1996–97) Brian Bradley would score the first goal in the history of the Ice Palace arena. Unfortunately, he would be sidelined for most of the 1997-98 season due to a concussion. He would remain with the Lightning until retiring due to chronic injuries on December 23, 1999.

Post-hockey life

Bradley is still affiliated with the Lightning's organization and makes frequent appearances on Bally Sports Sun television, which broadcasts regular season Lightning games.

On March 29, 2017, Bradley was inducted into the Sports Club of Tampa Bay Hall of Fame as part of the Hall's 34th class. Bradley became the third member of the Lightning organization to be inducted. This is Bradley's second hall of fame induction in that he is also a member of the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame in his hometown of Kitchener, Ontario. ^{[2] [3]}

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1980–81	Guelph Platers	OPJHL		42	31	40	71	59		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Wexford Raiders	OPJHL		4	1	1	2	2		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	London Knights	OHL		62	34	44	78	34		4	0	1	1	6
1982–83	London Knights	OHL		67	37	82	119	37		3	1	0	1	0
1983–84	London Knights	OHL		49	40	60	100	24		4	2	4	6	0
1983–84	Colorado Flames	CHL		—	—	—	—	—		4	2	0	2	2
1984–85	London Knights	OHL		32	27	49	76	22		8	5	10	15	4
1985–86	Moncton Golden Flames	AHL		59	23	42	65	40		10	6	9	15	4
1985–86	Calgary Flames	NHL		5	0	1	1	0		1	0	0	0	0
1986–87	Moncton Golden Flames	AHL		20	12	16	28	8		6	3	3	6	16
1986–87	Calgary Flames	NHL		40	10	18	28	16		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Canada	Intl		54	18	23	41	42		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		11	3	5	8	6		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		71	18	27	45	42		7	3	4	7	10
1989–90	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		67	19	29	48	65		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		44	11	20	31	42		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		26	0	11	11	20		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		59	10	21	31	48		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		80	42	44	86	92		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		78	24	40	64	56		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		46	13	27	40	42		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		75	23	56	79	77		5	0	3	3	6
1996–97	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		35	7	17	24	16		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		14	2	5	7	6		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				651	182	321	503	528		13	3	7	10	16

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1985	Canada	WJC		7	9	5	14	2
1988	Canada	OG		7	0	4	4	0

Awards and honours

• Selected to two NHL All-Star Games: 1993, 1994
• Held the NHL record for most goals scored (42) by a single player in an expansion team's inaugural season from 1993-2018.

References

1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
2. Burns, Bryan (March 29, 2017). "Brian Bradley earns local Hall of Fame distinction". TampaBayLightning.com. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
3. "2017 Sports Club of Tampa Bay Hall of Fame Induction Banquet". tampasportsclub.org. Sports Club of Tampa Bay. March 29, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database