Byron Brad McCrimmon was a
Canadian professional
ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played over
1200 games in the
National Hockey League (NHL) for the
Boston Bruins,
Philadelphia Flyers,
Calgary Flames,
Detroit Red Wings,
Hartford Whalers and
Phoenix Coyotes between 1979 and 1997. He achieved his greatest success in Calgary, where he was named a
second team All-Star in 1987–88, played in the
1988 NHL All-Star Game and won the
Plus-Minus Award with a league leading total of
+48 . In 1989, he helped the Flames win their first
Stanley Cup championship.
McCrimmon turned to coaching following his playing career, serving as an assistant with the
New York Islanders before taking over as head coach of the
Western Hockey League's
Saskatoon Blades for two seasons between 1998 and 2000. He then returned to the NHL as an assistant, first with the Flames then the
Atlanta Trashers and finally the Red Wings. He left the NHL to become the head coach of
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in 2011. He never coached a regular season game however, as he was killed in the
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster along with most of the team after their plane crashed en route to their first game.
(March 29, 1959 – September 7, 2011)
Playing career
Junior
McCrimmon began his junior career at the age of 15 with the
Prince Albert Raiders of the
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). He played two seasons with the team, scoring 23
goals and 84
points.
[1] In his second season, 1975–76, he was named the SJHL's defenceman of the year.
[2] For the
1976–77 season, he moved up to the
Brandon Wheat Kings of the
Western Canada Hockey League
(WCHL). He scored 84 points in 72 games in his first WCHL season and
added 13 points in 15 playoff games as the Wheat Kings reached the
league championship series, only to lose to the
New Westminster Bruins.
[3] McCrimmon scored 97 points in
1977–78 and 98 in
1978–79. He was named the
defenceman of the year in 1978 and was named to the league all-star team in both seasons.
[4][5] He also joined the
Canadian junior team at the
World Junior Championship in each season. He scored two
assists in six games to help Canada win a bronze medal at the
1978 tournament, and had three points in five games in
1979 though Canada failed to medal.
[6]
With McCrimmon as team
captain,
[7] the Wheat Kings again reached the league championship in 1978–79. He scored 28 points in 22 games to help Brandon win the
President's Cup.
[1][8] The team advanced to the
1979 Memorial Cup tournament where it reached the final against the
Ontario Hockey League champion
Peterborough Petes. While McCrimmon routinely played a high number of minutes each game – his teammates marveled at his stamina –
[9]
in that final, he played virtually every minute of the game. His total
ice time was 60 minutes, 38 seconds, and he was off the ice only to
serve a two-minute penalty.
[10] Peterborough won the game, 2–1 in overtime, after McCrimmon lost the puck on a play he thought was
icing was not called. Peterborough's Terry Bovair stole the puck from him and scored the championship winning goal.
[11] Despite the loss, he was named a tournament all-star on defence.
[8]
Professional
At the
1979 NHL Entry Draft, considered one of the deepest in league history, McCrimmon was selected 15th overall by the
Boston Bruins.
[12] He made his NHL debut on October 11, 1979, in the team's opening night victory over the
Winnipeg Jets.
[13] He scored 5 goals and 16 points in his rookie season of
1978–79 and improved to 11 goals and 29 points in his second season.
[8] With only nine points in the
1981–82 season, McCrimmon had gained a reputation as a player who did not attack with the puck in the NHL.
[14] Following the retirement of
Rogie Vachon, the Bruins needed a new goaltender.
[8] They sent McCrimmon to the
Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for
Pete Peeters on June 9, 1982.
[14]
Flyers' coach
Bob McCammon argued that McCrimmon had been "intimidated" by playing with fellow 1979 Bruins pick and
all-star,
Ray Bourque, and that he could be a better overall defenceman.
[15] McCrimmon's offence improved in his first two seasons in Philadelphia – 25 points in
1982–83 and 24, though without a goal scored, in
1983–84 –
[8] but he established himself as a top shutdown defenceman with the Flyers.
[16] He recorded 43 points in
1984–85 and posted a
plus-minus rating of +52, fifth best in the NHL.
[17] McCrimmon was knocked out of the
1985 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the third game of the league semi-final against the
Quebec Nordiques when he suffered a third-degree separation of his left shoulder following a hard hit by
Wilf Paiement, an injury that required surgery to repair.
[18] The Flyers reached the final without McCrimmon, but were defeated by the
Edmonton Oilers for the
Stanley Cup.
[19] McCrimmon returned to start the
1985–86 season
which he had his best season statistically. He appeared in all 80 games
for the Flyers and set career highs of 13 goals, 43 assists, 56 points
and his plus-minus rating of +83 was second only to defensive partner
Mark Howe.
[16] He was named recipient of the
Barry Ashbee Trophy as the Flyers' top defenceman.
[20]
He refused to report to the team for the start of the
1986–87 season.
After he was unable to come to terms on a new contract the season
before, an arbitrator was required to resolve the impasse. The
arbitrator sided with the team, setting a contract at the Flyers' offer
of
US$165,000
for that season (he asked for $200,000), with an option to extend the
deal for 1986–87. Though he admitted he was under contract for the
season, McCrimmon refused to play unless a new deal was reached. When
the two sides were unable to agree on the length of a contract,
McCrimmon went home to Saskatchewan as the season began.
[21]
The Flyers suspended McCrimmon on September 26, 1986, after he refused
to appear in the first exhibition games. The impasse was not resolved
until a month later, when he and the team agreed to a one-year contract
on October 29.
[22]
He immediately returned to the team and appeared in 72 of the Flyers'
80 games, recording 22 points and finishing fourth in the league at +45.
[17] In the
1987 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he appeared in all 26 post-season games as the Flyers again reached the final against Edmonton. McCrimmon scored the
overtime winner in game 3 of the final, but the Oilers won the series.
[20]
Following the season, general manager
Bobby Clarke refused to sign a new deal with McCrimmon, choosing instead to trade him to the
Calgary Flames on August 27, 1987, in exchange for a third round selection at the
1988 NHL Entry Draft and a first rounder at the
1989 Draft.
[23] On the
1987–88 Flames, McCrimmon joined the likes of
Al MacInnis,
Paul Reinhart,
Gary Suter and
Ric Nattress to form one of the top defences in the NHL.
[24] He scored 42 points for the Flames, won the
NHL Plus-Minus Award with a league-leading +48 and was named a
second team All-Star. Additionally, he played in the
1988 All-Star Game.
[7]
McCrimmon recorded only 22 points in
1988–89 – his lowest in seven seasons – but led all NHL defencemen with a +43 rating.
[7] He appeared in all 22 playoff games for the Flames as the team defeated the
Montreal Canadiens to win the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
[25] Upon the retirement of
captains Lanny McDonald following the Cup win, and
Jim Peplinski early in the
1989–90 season, McCrimmon was named the 10th captain in Flames history on November 3, 1989.
[26] He scored 4 goals and 19 points on the season but fell out of favour with head coach
Terry Crisp as the two disagreed over how the team's defencemen were used.
[27] The Flames chose to trade him following the season, sending him to the
Detroit Red Wings on June 15, 1990, in exchange for a second round draft pick.
[8]
In
1991–92, McCrimmon was paired with a young
Nicklas Lidström. Though he played more of a "stay-at-home" defensive style,
[28] McCrimmon's 29 points was a significant improvement on the 13 he scored the season before.
[17] McCrimmon played one more season in Detroit before again being traded, this time to the
Hartford Whalers on June 1, 1993, in exchange for a sixth round draft pick.
[8] In Hartford, the 34-year-old McCrimmon served as a mentor for 18-year-old
Chris Pronger.
[29] Offensively, he scored 16 points total in three seasons with the Whalers between 1993 and 1996. Leaving the team as a
free agent, McCrimmon signed with the
Phoenix Coyotes for the
1996–97 season.
[8]
He appeared in 37 games that season, scoring one goal and adding five
assists. Following the season, he announced his retirement.
[30]
McCrimmon was paired with some of the best defencemen of his generation. In addition to Lidstrom and Pronger, he played with
Hockey Hall of Famers Ray Bourque,
Mark Howe and
Paul Coffey. He was known as a stay at home defenceman who focused on limiting the opposition's chances.
[31]
He played a physical game, often in the "dirty" areas of the ice –
battling opponents in the corners and in front of the net. McCrimmon's
career plus-minus was +444, a total surpassed by only nine players as of
2012.
Brian Propp, a teammate of his in Philadelphia, said that he was one of the most underrated defencemen of his time.
[32]
Coaching career
The Calgary Flames wear special uniforms honouring McCrimmon prior to an NHL game in 2011–12.
McCrimmon moved behind the bench shortly after his retirement, joining the
New York Islanders as an assistant coach to
Mike Milbury on August 19, 1997.
[30] He left the team after two years to become head coach of the
Saskatoon Blades of the
Western Hockey League in 1999.
[33] In two seasons with the team, he coached 144 games with an overall win-loss-tie record of 50–79–15.
[34] He returned to the NHL in 2000, joining the Calgary Flames as an assistant to
Don Hay.
[35] He remained with the team for two and a half seasons, serving under both Hay and successor
Greg Gilbert until the team replaced its coaching staff on December 3, 2002.
[36] He returned to the NHL in 2004 as an assistant for the
Atlanta Thrashers. He was promoted to associate coach in his fourth season when team general manager
Don Waddell fired head coach
Bob Hartley during the
2007–08 season.
[37]
McCrimmon had been offered the Thrashers head coaching position after
Waddell's dismissal, but turned it down after the team failed to
guarantee he would retain the position beyond the end of the season.
[38]
Leaving the Thrashers, McCrimmon signed a three-year contract with the
Detroit Red Wings in 2008 to serve as an assistant coach.
[39]
Looking to further his career, he resigned as an assistant in Detroit on May 19, 2011, and was introduced as head coach of
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on May 29.
[40] He hoped that coaching the Russian club would help him land an NHL head coaching position in the future.
[41] He never coached a game for Lokomotiv, as on September 7, 2011, the team's
plane crashed on take off en route to their first game of the season. McCrimmon died along with virtually his entire team.
[42]
Personal life
McCrimmon was born in
Dodsland, Saskatchewan, but grew up on the family farm near the village of
Plenty. He often returned to his hometown during his playing days, spending his summers training on the family farm.
[43]
He brought the Stanley Cup back to Plenty in 1989 after winning it with
the Flames, fulfilling a promise McCrimmon made to his grandfather as a
youth.
[44]
Hockey was a significant part of McCrimmon's life from his youth. His father Byron was a long time
senior player and coach for the
Rosetown Red Wings
in Saskatchewan. The younger McCrimmon played for teams in both Plenty
and Rosetown at the same time, often appearing on teams one level above
his age.
[45] His younger brother
Kelly is the owner and general manager of the Brandon Wheat Kings, with whom they played together as teammates in 1978–79.
[46]
Nicknamed both "Beast" and "Sarge", McCrimmon was often considered
"gruff" and had a direct way of speaking that cultivated respect amongst
his peers.
[47] According to former teammate
Lanny McDonald: "He was tough, he was abrasive, but on the inside he was a big teddy bear, a big softie."
[48] McCrimmon's brother remembered him as a person who dedicated himself to his family.
[46] Brad had two children with his wife Maureen: daughter Carlin and son Liam.
[1]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
| Year |
Team |
Event |
|
GP |
G |
A |
Pts |
PIM |
| 1978 |
Canada |
WJC |
6 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
| 1979 |
Canada |
WJC |
5 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
| Junior totals |
11 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
Coaching
Awards and honours
To see more of who died in 2011
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