Brian Skrudland

Brian Skrudland
Born	(1963-07-31) July 31, 1963 Peace River, AB, CAN
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Montreal Canadiens (1985–1993) Calgary Flames (1993) Florida Panthers (1993–1997) New York Rangers (1997–1998) Dallas Stars (1998–2000)
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1985–2000

Brian Norman Skrudland (born July 31, 1963) is a retired former professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and Dallas Stars. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Panthers since November 8, 2013.

Playing career

Junior and minor pro

Skrudland played for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League from 1980–1983. His #10 jersey has been retired by the Blades.

Brian 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. Sherbrooke defeated the Baltimore Skipjacks 4 games to 2 in the final.

NHL

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.

Was finalist for the Selke Trophy in 1994. 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.

Current Life

He now lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife and children and attends the World Pond Hockey Championships in Plaster Rock on a yearly basis. On July 6, 2010, he was named Director of Player Development for the Florida Panthers. Beginning in the 2013-2014 season, he currently serves as Assistant Coach for the Florida Panthers.

Awards and achievements

• 1985–86 – Won Stanley Cup (Montreal Canadiens)
• 1990–91 – Selected to All-Star Game
• 1998–99 – Won Stanley Cup (Dallas Stars)

Career statistics

				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

External links

• Brian Skrudland career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Brian Skrudland at Hockey-Reference.com