Brian Spencer

Brian Spencer
Born	September 3, 1949(1949-09-03) Fort St. James, BC, CAN
Died	June 3, 1988(1988-06-03) (aged 38) Riviera Beach, FL, USA
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs New York Islanders Buffalo Sabres Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Draft	55th overall, 1969 Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	1969–1979

Brian Roy "Spinner" Spencer (September 3, 1949 in Fort St. James, British Columbia – June 3, 1988 in Riviera Beach, Florida) was a Canadian Professional ice hockey player who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Career

Brian Spencer was drafted in the 5th Round, 55th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1969 NHL Entry Draft. On December 12, 1970, when he was called up to play with the Leafs in what would be his first NHL game on television, he called his father Roy Spencer in British Columbia to tell him to watch the game that night on Hockey Night in Canada. Spencer was to be interviewed between periods of the game. However, a game featuring the Vancouver Canucks versus the California Golden Seals was aired instead of the Maple Leafs versus the Chicago Blackhawks. Infuriated, Roy Spencer drove 135 kilometres (84 mi) to Prince George, where the closest CBC Television station, CKPG-TV, is located. When he arrived he ordered them at gunpoint to broadcast the Maple Leafs game instead. The station complied but as Roy Spencer left the station he was confronted by the RCMP. After a brief stand-off Roy Spencer was shot and killed.

After a few seasons with Toronto and the New York Islanders, Spencer was acquired by the Buffalo Sabres. Spencer had his best offensive production in a Sabres uniform when he scored 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 1974–75. Spencer played well in Buffalo and was extremely popular with the fans at Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium. His hustle, aggressive play, and hitting ability was something the fans admired. Spencer developed into a solid two-way player. He would however be dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in September 1977.

His offensive production fell as he took on the role of a checking forward with the Penguins. Spencer's last NHL season came in 1978–79 when he played 7 games for Pittsburgh. He then finished his playing career in the AHL (Binghamton, Springfield and Hershey) and retired after the 1979–80 season.

Off The Ice

While off the ice Spencer was often found working on his vehicle, dubbed "The Hulk". He began with a 2½ ton Army convoy truck and removed the body. Next, Spencer installed a 651 Cummins diesel engine and placed the shell of a 1972 Dodge van and hood of a Mack Truck atop. The dashboard was taken from a DC-3 cockpit, and all the gauges were functional. Brian also had a small black-and-white television monitor in the dashboard, which was connected to cameras in the back "sleeping" area of the Hulk. The hood ornament was a horse's jawbone.

Death

After hockey, Spencer ran into some rough times. He submersed himself into a life of drugs and violence. In 1987 he was charged with kidnapping and murder and faced the death penalty. Family and friends, including ex-teammates gathered around him and tried to help him through those rough times. The lead attorney in the case was Barry A. Weinstein and the lead investigator was Leon Wright. Both men were members of the capital division of the Office of the Public Defender of Palm Beach County and in their years at the public defender's office, they had never lost a client to the death penalty. A former teammate from the Buffalo Sabres, Rick Martin, tried to help by testifying as a character witness at his trial. The jury deliberated and ruled with a not guilty verdict in March 1988 and Spencer vowed to change his life. However, despite the acquittal and a move to Florida, Spencer's life continued to spiral out of control. In almost a similar manner to how his father's life ended, Spencer's life would end the same way three months later: shot and killed at gunpoint, this time in a robbery following a crack cocaine purchase in Riviera Beach, Florida, with his friend Gregory Scott Cook at his side.

Spencer is survived by five children from two different marriages and his twin brother, Byron.

A book on Brian's life Gross Misconduct: The life of Spinner Spencer, written by Martin O'Malley, was adapted in 1993 by Atom Egoyan into a made-for-television film in Canada, Gross Misconduct.

External links

• Brian Spencer's profile at hockeydb.com
• Brian Spencer page at Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association
• IMDB page for "Gross Misconduct" (1993) - a Canadian TV movie based on Spencer's life

References

Additional references

• Players:The Ultimate A-Z Guide of Everyone Who Has Ever Played in the NHL by Andrew Podnieks, ISBN 0-385-25999-9
• Penguin's Profiles: Pittsburgh's Boys of Winter. O'Brien, James P. 1994, Retrieved 17 Nov. 2006.