Brad McCrimmon

Brad McCrimmon
McCrimmon with the Boston Bruins in 1979
Born (1959-03-29)March 29, 1959
Dodsland, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died September 7, 2011(2011-09-07) (aged 52)
Yaroslavl, Russia
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 193 lb (88 kg; 13 st 11 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Boston Bruins
Philadelphia Flyers
Calgary Flames
Detroit Red Wings
Hartford Whalers
Phoenix Coyotes
National team  Canada
NHL draft 15th overall, 1979
Boston Bruins
Playing career 1979–1997
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1978 Canada

Byron Brad McCrimmon (March 29, 1959[citation needed] – September 7, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played over 1,200 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers and Phoenix Coyotes between 1979 and 1997. He achieved his greatest success in Calgary, where he was named a second team All-Star in 1987–88, played in the 1988 NHL All-Star Game and won the Plus-Minus Award with a league leading total of +48. In 1989, he helped the Flames win their only Stanley Cup championship. His career plus-minus of +444 is the 10th highest total in NHL history, and the highest among players not inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

McCrimmon turned to coaching following his playing career, serving as an assistant with the New York Islanders before taking over as head coach of the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades for two seasons between 1998 and 2000. He then returned to the NHL as an assistant, first with the Flames then the Atlanta Thrashers and finally the Red Wings. He left the NHL to become the head coach of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in 2011. He never coached a regular season game however, as he was killed, along with most of the team, after their plane crashed en route to their first game.