1976-77 O-Pee-Chee #26

Mel Bridgman was not your (proto)typical tough guy, enforcer type. He could score (252 career goals), pass (449 career assists), lead (Flyers and Devils captain), and, oh yeah, fight (1625 career PIMs, 147 fights). He was, as they say in baseball, a five-tool player. Or rather, a four-tool player.

Bridgman appeared on the radar of NHL clubs during his time with the Victoria Cougars of the WCJHL. As an 18 year old, he would put up 65 points in 62 games while racking up 149 PIMs. This was just a taste of things to come, though. The following year, Bridgman scored an impressive 66 goals in 66 games, assisted on 91 others (157 total points), and accumulated 175 PIMs.

Those gaudy numbers were hard to ignore come draft time. With the 1st overall pick, the back-to-back Stanley Cup winning Philadelphia Flyers selected 20 year old center Mel Bridgman. On paper, it seemed like a perfect fit for the Broad Street Bullies; a tough-as-nails player who could score and pass. The Flyers also looked at Bridgman as the eventual successor to Bobby Clarke, a player who could lead the franchise to more Stanley Cups. Additionally, the fledgling World Hockey Association also had interest in Bridgman. With the fourth pick, the Denver Spurs tagged Bridgman and vowed to sign the gifted center to an offer he could not refuse. Ultimately, the prestige of playing with the Cup winning Flyers won out and Bridgman signed with Philly.

In his first season with the Flyers, Bridgman showed signs of why he was drafted first overall. In 80 games he would score 23 goals, assist on 27 others, and sat in the sin bin for 86 minutes. He also shone in the playoffs, tallying 14 points in 16 games. The Flyers, however, would get swept by the powerhouse Canadiens in the finals. While the penalty minutes appear modest, he did drop the gloves eight times. His first regular season fight came against Brian Glennie of the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 30th. Since number one draft picks are purely enforcers, Bridgman fought non-enforcer types his rookie year. Plus, one must assume that the Flyers wanted to protect their young star as much as possible, so discouraging him to engage in fisticuffs was probably their top priority. An interesting fact about his rookie season: his very first fight in the NHL, which came in the preseason, was against Guy Lafleur. During the regular season, he would fight Lanny McDonald. In the playoffs, he would scrap with Borje Salming. During the course of one full NHL season, Mel Bridgman fought three Hockey Hall of Famers. Impressive.

The following season saw similar production; 57 points in 70 games, but 120 PIMs. While he still was not fighting a ton, especially for that era, his competition got a little tougher. Among the opponents in his ten fights during the 76-77 season were notable tough guys Garry Howatt, Gord Lane, and Bob Gassoff.

Bridgman’s third season in the NHL would prove to be his most physical. The offensive production dipped a little (48 points in 76 games), but the time spent serving penalties and dropping the gloves increased sharply. For 203 minutes, Bridgman would sit in the penalty box; 130 of those minutes were the results of fighting. Mel more than doubled his fight total during the 77-78 season, tossing bombs in 26 different bouts. He fought guys like Tiger Williams, Bryan Watson, and Dennis Polonich, but his best battles came against Bob Nystrom and Terry O’Reilly. On February 19th, the Flyers squared off against the New York Islanders. After having already fought Gerry Hart earlier in the game, Bridgman found a willing dance partner in Bob Nystrom. The two went toe-to-toe in an epic battle that saw no clear winner, but showed plenty of heart from both players.

The O’Reilly bouts actually came in the playoffs during a particularly physical series. The first meeting came on May 2nd, with a spirited bout between the two. A week later, on the 9th, the two squared off again in a battle that saw Bridgman get the edge early and O’Reilly late. A couple of days later, Bridgman would end his season with a tilt versus Stan Jonathan.

Over the next few seasons, Bridgman would scrap less and less, although the drop-off wasn’t dramatic. During the 78-79 season, he would fight 20 times and rack up 184 PIMs. Old foes like Garry Howatt and Gerry Hart would once again accept the challenge, while others would figure out for the first time what it meant to be in a Bridgman fight. The highlight of the season fight-wise came on March 11th, when the Kings arrived in town. Tensions boiled over until a full scale bench clearing brawl erupted. During the melee, Bridgman and Steve Jensen went at it not once, not twice, but an incredible three times. During the 79-80 season, his PIM and fight total would once again drop, this time to 17 fights (and another with a HOFer) and 136 PIMs. Neither totals were nothing to sneeze at, but it was becoming clear that Bridgman was either focusing less on brawling or that opponents just did not want to scrap with him anymore. The season after that, his last full one with the Flyers, would also see a drop in fights (14) although his PIMs increased (195). And once again, Bridgman would go at it with two HOFers: Rod Langway and Peter Stastny. Throughout these seasons, his offensive production held steady at around 50 points.

Mel’s tenure with the Flyers would end early in the 81-82 season. After not being able to work out a long term deal with the club and being stripped of his captaincy (which was bestowed upon him from Bobby Clarke), Philly would ship Bridgman to the Calgary Flames for Brad Marsh. Playing for his new team, Bridgman enjoyed his finest offensive season. In 63 games, he would score 26 goals to go along with 49 assists for a total of 75 points. Added to his nine game stint with the Flyers, he would finish with 87 total points. His PIMs (141) and fights (10) would decline once again and Bridgman would never be the reckless scrapper he had been early in his career. This is not to say he was a shrinking violet, though. During his first year with the Flames, he fought Dave Semenko, Dave Taylor, and John Wensink, three certified tough guys. He would also continue his streak of fighting future HOFers, this time mixing it up with Paul Coffey.

For the remainder of his career, Mel Bridgman would fight less and less, while his offensive game got better and better. Sure, he would continue to fight guys like Tiger Williams, Marty McSorley, Dave Brown, and Garth Butcher, but his game changed.  After being traded from Calgary to the New Jersey Devils for the start of the 83-84 season, Bridgman would enjoy three straight seasons of 20+ goals and 60+ points, while also being anointed the captain. He would then be traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he played a season and a half, before signing with the Vancouver Canucks for the 88-89 season. He would only play in 15 games and retired at the end of the year at the age of 33. His last fight came the previous season against Duane Sutter.

Was Mel Bridgman a bust as the #1 pick? Some might say yes, but they are not be seeing the big picture. Did he deliver on the offensive potential he exhibited in the WCJHL? Not entirely. Was he a goon? Not at all. Bridgman might not have put up big numbers, but he was a perennial 50-60 point player who was tough as nails, never backed down from a fight, battled for every puck, and lead two different teams. To me, that has all the makings of a very good NHL career.

After retiring, Bridgman studied for and received his MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, the same school Donald Trump graduated from. He would become the first General Manager of the newly formed Ottawa Senators. After that, he would become a player agent. In 2004, he was elected to the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.