Brian Norman Skrudland (born July 31, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and Dallas Stars.

Brian Skrudland
Skrudland in 2011
Born (1963-07-31) July 31, 1963 (age 61)
Peace River, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Calgary Flames
Florida Panthers
New York Rangers
Dallas Stars
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1985–2000

Playing career

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Junior

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Skrudland played for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League from 1980 to 1983. His #10 jersey has been retired by the Blades since 2003.[1]

Professional

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Skrudland won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the 1985 AHL Playoffs. Skrudland scored 17 points in 17 games leading the Sherbrooke Canadiens to a Calder Cup championship.[2] Sherbrooke defeated the Baltimore Skipjacks 4 games to 2 in the final.

Skrudland made his NHL debut in 1985 for the Montreal Canadiens. He played 7.5 seasons with the Habs, winning the Stanley Cup in 1986. In game two of that series, Skrudland put his name in the NHL record books, when he scored the fastest overtime goal in Stanley Cup finals history at nine seconds. He was selected to go to the 1991 NHL All-Star Game, but could not attend due to injury. Skrudland was traded to the Calgary Flames during the 1992–1993 season. He moved to the expansion Florida Panthers for the 1993–1994 season and was the first captain in franchise history, a title he held for four seasons. Skrudland was with the team until 1997, including Florida's run to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost 4–0 to the Colorado Avalanche. He signed with the New York Rangers in the summer of 1997 and played one season with them until he was dealt along with Mike Keane to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Todd Harvey and Bob Errey. Skrudland was instrumental in helping the Stars win the Stanley Cup in 1999. Skrudland retired after the 2000 Stanley Cup finals (which Dallas lost to the New Jersey Devils), at 36 years old.

Skrudland was one of the final cuts for Team Canada during the 1991 Canada Cup tournament.

Skrudland was a finalist for the Selke Trophy in 1994. The Frank J Selke Trophy is awarded annually to the best defensive minded forward in the NHL.

Skrudland holds the NHL record for fastest goal in a playoff overtime when he scored the winning goal at 0:09 seconds into overtime in Game 2 in the 1986 finals.[3]

Personal life

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Skrudland lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife Lana, and their three children.[citation needed] From July 6, 2010 until July 9, 2015, he was the director of player development for the Florida Panthers.[4] Skrudland also served as assistant coach for the Panthers during the 2013–14 season.[5]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1980–81 Saskatoon Blades WHL 66 15 27 42 97
1981–82 Saskatoon Blades WHL 71 27 29 56 135 5 0 1 1 2
1982–83 Saskatoon Blades WHL 71 35 59 94 42 6 1 3 4 19
1983–84 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 56 13 12 25 55 12 2 8 10 14
1984–85 Sherbrooke Canadiens AHL 70 22 28 50 109 17 9 8 17 23
1985–86 Montreal Canadiens NHL 65 9 13 22 57 20 2 4 6 76
1986–87 Montreal Canadiens NHL 79 11 17 28 107 14 1 5 6 29
1987–88 Montreal Canadiens NHL 79 12 24 36 112 11 1 5 6 24
1988–89 Montreal Canadiens NHL 71 12 29 41 84 21 3 7 10 40
1989–90 Montreal Canadiens NHL 59 11 31 42 56 11 3 5 8 30
1990–91 Montreal Canadiens NHL 57 15 19 34 85 13 3 10 13 42
1991–92 Montreal Canadiens NHL 42 3 3 6 36 11 1 1 2 20
1992–93 Montreal Canadiens NHL 23 5 3 8 55
1992–93 Calgary Flames NHL 16 2 4 6 10 6 0 3 3 12
1993–94 Florida Panthers NHL 79 15 25 40 136
1994–95 Florida Panthers NHL 47 5 9 14 88
1995–96 Florida Panthers NHL 79 7 20 27 129 21 1 3 4 18
1996–97 Florida Panthers NHL 51 5 13 18 48
1997–98 New York Rangers NHL 59 5 6 11 39
1997–98 Dallas Stars NHL 13 2 0 2 10 17 0 1 1 16
1998–99 Dallas Stars NHL 40 4 1 5 33 19 0 2 2 16
1999–00 Dallas Stars NHL 22 1 2 3 22
NHL totals 881 124 219 343 1107 164 15 46 61 323

Awards and honours

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Award Year
AHL
Jack A. Butterfield Trophy 1985
Calder Cup (Sherbrooke Canadiens) 1985
NHL
Stanley Cup champion (Montreal Canadiens) 1986
All-Star Game 1991
Stanley Cup champion (Dallas Stars) 1999

References

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  1. ^ "Blades Team Of The 1980's Announced". mastercardmemorialcup.ca. March 5, 2013. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018. the Blades retired his No. 10 jersey in 2003
  2. ^ "Regina Pats make Homecoming Weekend announcements". whl.ca. November 28, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  3. ^ Kreiser, John (May 18, 2018). "May 18: Skrudland scores fastest playoff overtime goal". NHL.com. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  4. ^ "Florida Panthers Announce Hockey Operations Staff Changes". NHL.com. July 9, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  5. ^ "Panthers Name Kelly, Morris As Gallant's Assistants". miami.cbslocal.com. July 8, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by
Position created
Florida Panthers captain
199397
Succeeded by