Brian Skrudland

Brian Norman Skrudland (born July 31, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and Dallas Stars.

Brian Skrudland
Skrudland in 2011
Born (1963-07-31) July 31, 1963 (age 60)
Peace River, Alberta, Canada
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
PositionCentre
ShotLeft
Played forMontreal Canadiens
Calgary Flames
Florida Panthers
New York Rangers
Dallas Stars
NHL draftUndrafted
Playing career1985–2000

Playing career edit

Junior edit

Skrudland played for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League from 1980 to 1983. His #10 jersey has been retired by the Blades since 2003.[1]

Professional edit

Skrudland won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the 1985 AHL Playoffs. Skrudland scored 17 points in 17 games leading the Sherbrooke Canadiens to a Calder Cup championship.[2] Sherbrooke defeated the Baltimore Skipjacks 4 games to 2 in the final.

Skrudland made his NHL debut in 1985 for the Montreal Canadiens. He played 7.5 seasons with the Habs, winning the Stanley Cup in 1986. In game two of that series, Skrudland put his name in the NHL record books, when he scored the fastest overtime goal in Stanley Cup finals history at nine seconds. He was selected to go to the 1991 NHL All-Star Game, but could not attend due to injury. Skrudland was traded to the Calgary Flames during the 1992–1993 season. He moved to the expansion Florida Panthers for the 1993–1994 season and was the first captain in franchise history, a title he held for four seasons. Skrudland was with the team until 1997, including Florida's run to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost 4–0 to the Colorado Avalanche. He signed with the New York Rangers in the summer of 1997 and played one season with them until he was dealt along with Mike Keane to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Todd Harvey and Bob Errey. Skrudland was instrumental in helping the Stars win the Stanley Cup in 1999. Skrudland retired after the 2000 Stanley Cup finals (which Dallas lost to the New Jersey Devils), at 36 years old.

Skrudland was one of the final cuts for Team Canada during the 1991 Canada Cup tournament.

Skrudland was a finalist for the Selke Trophy in 1994. The Frank J Selke Trophy is awarded annually to the best defensive minded forward in the NHL.

Skrudland holds the NHL record for fastest goal in a playoff overtime when he scored the winning goal at 0:09 seconds into overtime in Game 2 in the 1986 finals.[3]

Personal life edit

Skrudland lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife Lana, and their three children.[citation needed] From July 6, 2010 until July 9, 2015, he was the director of player development for the Florida Panthers.[4] Skrudland also served as assistant coach for the Panthers during the 2013–14 season.[5]

Career statistics edit

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1980–81Saskatoon BladesWHL6615274297
1981–82Saskatoon BladesWHL7127295613550112
1982–83Saskatoon BladesWHL7135599442613419
1983–84Nova Scotia VoyageursAHL561312255512281014
1984–85Sherbrooke CanadiensAHL7022285010917981723
1985–86Montreal CanadiensNHL6591322572024676
1986–87Montreal CanadiensNHL791117281071415629
1987–88Montreal CanadiensNHL791224361121115624
1988–89Montreal CanadiensNHL711229418421371040
1989–90Montreal CanadiensNHL59113142561135830
1990–91Montreal CanadiensNHL5715193485133101342
1991–92Montreal CanadiensNHL42336361111220
1992–93Montreal CanadiensNHL2353855
1992–93Calgary FlamesNHL1624610603312
1993–94Florida PanthersNHL79152540136
1994–95Florida PanthersNHL47591488
1995–96Florida PanthersNHL79720271292113418
1996–97Florida PanthersNHL515131848
1997–98New York RangersNHL59561139
1997–98Dallas StarsNHL13202101701116
1998–99Dallas StarsNHL40415331902216
1999–00Dallas StarsNHL2212322
NHL totals8811242193431107164154661323

Awards and honours edit

AwardYear
AHL
Jack A. Butterfield Trophy1985
Calder Cup (Sherbrooke Canadiens)1985
NHL
Stanley Cup champion (Montreal Canadiens)1986
All-Star Game1991
Stanley Cup champion (Dallas Stars)1999

References edit

  1. ^ "Blades Team Of The 1980's Announced". mastercardmemorialcup.ca. March 5, 2013. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018. the Blades retired his No. 10 jersey in 2003
  2. ^ "Regina Pats make Homecoming Weekend announcements". whl.ca. November 28, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  3. ^ Kreiser, John (May 18, 2018). "May 18: Skrudland scores fastest playoff overtime goal". NHL.com. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  4. ^ "Florida Panthers Announce Hockey Operations Staff Changes". NHL.com. July 9, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  5. ^ "Panthers Name Kelly, Morris As Gallant's Assistants". miami.cbslocal.com. July 8, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2018.

External links edit

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Position created
Florida Panthers captain
199397
Succeeded by