Long-Timers: Brad McCrimmon

In the 102-year history of the National Hockey League, 348 individuals have played 1,000 or more regular season games. 44 of them, or 12.6%, have played some part of their career with the Atlanta or Calgary Flames. We call these players Long-Timers.

Let’s take a look at the late, great Brad McCrimmon.

Originally from Dodsland, Saskatchewan, McCrimmon played his junior hockey in Prince Albert and Brandon before being selected fifth overall in the 1979 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins.

He jumped right into the NHL and began carving out a niche for himself as a tough, smart, defensive defender – his playing style earned him the nickname “Beast.” He played three seasons with the Bruins before being traded to Philadelphia in 1982 for Pete Peeters.

McCrimmon continued his strong play for the Flyers, setting a career high for goals (13) and points (56) in 1985-86. The following season the Flyers went to the Stanley Cup Final, pushing the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers to a seventh game before losing. His strong play got him on the Flames’ radar, and Calgary acquired him during the 1987 off-season in exchange for a first round pick and a third round pick.

He spent just three seasons with the Flames, but McCrimmon was excellent. In 1987-88, the Flames won the Presidents’ Trophy and he was fourth in Norris voting. In 1988-89, the Flames won the Presidents’ Trophy and a Stanley Cup. In 1989-90, he served as Flames captain. He was traded to Detroit in the 1990 off-season in exchange for a second round pick.

McCrimmon didn’t enjoy the same success for the rest of his career that he did in Calgary, but he was still very solid. He spent three seasons with Detroit, three seasons with Hartford, and then closed out with one last season with Phoenix before retiring in 1997.

After retirement, McCrimmon went right into coaching. He head coached the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades briefly and spent time as an assistant coach with the Flames, Red Wings, New York Islanders and Atlanta Thrashers. He seemingly got his big break in 2011 when he was hired as head coach with the KHLs Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, but tragically the entire team was lost in a plane crash prior to the beginning of the season.

McCrimmon is memorialized with a display on the Saddledome concourse, one of two departed Flames to be honoured in that manner – the other is former head coach Bob Johnson.