Mel Bridgman

Mel Bridgman
Born	April 28, 1955 (1955-04-28) Trenton, ON, CAN
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	NHL Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Detroit Red Wings Vancouver Canucks AHL Adirondack Red Wings
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	1st overall, 1975 Philadelphia Flyers
WHA Draft	4th overall, 1975 Denver Spurs
Playing career	1975–1989

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.

After his playing career, he earned a degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1992, he was named as the first General Manager of the Ottawa Senators of the NHL.

Playing career

Bridgman was drafted 1st 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.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
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	1625		125	28	39	67	298

External links

• Meltzer, Bill Flyers Heroes of the Past: Mel Bridgman at philadelphiaflyers.com
• Mel Bridgman's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Mel Bridgman at Hockey-Reference.com
• Mel Bridgman's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Mel Bridgman's NHL player profile

Preceded by Greg Joly	NHL first overall draft pick 1975	Succeeded by Rick Green
Preceded by Bill Barber	Philadelphia Flyers' first round draft pick 1975	Succeeded by Mark Suzor
Preceded by Bobby Clarke	Philadelphia Flyers captain 1979–81	Succeeded by Bill Barber
Preceded by Don Lever	New Jersey Devils captain 1984–87	Succeeded by Kirk Muller
Preceded by Position created	General Manager of the Ottawa Senators 1992–93	Succeeded by Randy Sexton