Summary
Melvin John Bridgman (born April 28, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1975–76 until 1988–89. He featured in two Stanley Cup Finals with the Flyers (1976, 1980). Bridgman was born in Trenton, Ontario, but grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, before moving to Victoria, British Columbia.[1]
| Mel Bridgman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
April 28, 1955 Trenton, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Detroit Red Wings Vancouver Canucks | ||
| National team |
 Canada | ||
| NHL Draft |
1st overall, 1975 Philadelphia Flyers | ||
| WHA Draft |
4th overall, 1975 Denver Spurs | ||
| Playing career | 1975–1989 | ||
After his playing career, he earned his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1992, Bridgman was the first general manager of the modern-day Ottawa Senators of the NHL.[2][3]
Playing career edit
Bridgman was drafted first overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. He played 977 career NHL games, scoring 252 goals and 449 assists for 701 points, as well as adding 1625 penalty minutes. His best offensive season was the 1981–82 season, when he set career highs with 33 goals, 54 assists, and 87 points. Throughout his career Bridgman was known as a consistent offensive contributor, a smart defensive centre, and a gritty, hard-nosed, power forward who would check and fight regularly.
Career statistics edit
Regular season and playoffs edit
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1971–72 | Victoria Racquet Club | Minor-BC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Victoria Cougars | WCHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Nanaimo Clippers | BCHL | 49 | 37 | 50 | 87 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Victoria Cougars | WCHL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Victoria Cougars | WCHL | 62 | 26 | 39 | 65 | 149 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Victoria Cougars | WCHL | 66 | 66 | 91 | 157 | 175 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 34 | ||
| 1975–76 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 80 | 23 | 27 | 50 | 86 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 31 | ||
| 1976–77 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 70 | 19 | 38 | 57 | 120 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1977–78 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 76 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 203 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 36 | ||
| 1978–79 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 76 | 24 | 35 | 59 | 184 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 17 | ||
| 1979–80 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 74 | 16 | 31 | 47 | 136 | 19 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 70 | ||
| 1980–81 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 77 | 14 | 37 | 51 | 195 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 39 | ||
| 1981–82 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 9 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 63 | 26 | 49 | 75 | 94 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | ||
| 1982–83 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 79 | 19 | 31 | 50 | 103 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 33 | ||
| 1983–84 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 79 | 23 | 38 | 61 | 121 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 80 | 22 | 39 | 61 | 105 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 78 | 23 | 40 | 63 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 51 | 8 | 31 | 39 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 28 | ||
| 1987–88 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 57 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 42 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 12 | ||
| 1988–89 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 15 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | ||
| NHL totals | 977 | 252 | 449 | 701 | 1,625 | 125 | 28 | 39 | 67 | 298 | ||||
International edit
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Canada | WJC | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
Awards edit
- Bob Brownridge Memorial Trophy (WCHL leading scorer) - 1975
- WCHL All-Star Team – 1975
References edit
- ^ "Flyers Heroes of the Past: Mel Bridgman".
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: HOCKEY; Bridgman to Run Freshman Senators". The New York Times. August 31, 1991. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: HOCKEY; Senators Shuffle the Front Office". The New York Times. April 16, 1993. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
External links edit
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Meltzer, Bill Flyers Heroes of the Past: Mel Bridgman at philadelphiaflyers.com