Brad McCrimmon

1.1. Childhood and Family

McCrimmon was born in Dodsland, Saskatchewan, and spent his childhood on the family farm near the village of Plenty, Saskatchewan. He frequently returned to his hometown during his playing career, using the family farm for training during the off-season. His commitment to his roots was evident when he brought the Stanley Cup back to Plenty in 1989, fulfilling a promise he had made to his grandfather as a youth. Hockey was a central part of McCrimmon's life from a very early age. His father, Byron, was a long-time senior player and coach for the Rosetown Red Wings in Saskatchewan. Young McCrimmon played for teams in both Plenty and Rosetown simultaneously, often competing in age categories above his own. His younger brother, Kelly McCrimmon, also pursued a career in hockey and later became the general manager for the Vegas Golden Knights; the two brothers even played together as teammates for the Brandon Wheat Kings during the 1978-79 season. McCrimmon was known to be deeply dedicated to his family, including his wife Maureen and their two children, daughter Carlin and son Liam.

1.2. Early Hockey Development

McCrimmon began his junior hockey career at the age of 15 with the Prince Albert Raiders in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). He played two seasons with the team, scoring 23 goals and 84 points. In his second season, 1975-76, he was recognized as the SJHL's Defenceman of the Year. For the 1976-77 season, he advanced to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). In his debut WCHL season, he tallied 84 points in 72 games and added 13 points in 15 playoff games as the Wheat Kings reached the league championship series, ultimately losing to the New Westminster Bruins. McCrimmon continued his strong performance, scoring 97 points in the 1977-78 season and 98 points in the 1978-79 season. He was named the Defenceman of the Year in 1978, receiving the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy, and was selected for the league all-star team in both seasons.

2.1. Junior League Career

As a junior player, McCrimmon was a standout. He amassed 26 points in 38 games in his first season with the Prince Albert Raiders in 1974-75, followed by 58 points in 46 games in 1975-76, earning the SJHL Defenceman of the Year award. His transition to the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) for the 1976-77 season saw him contribute 84 points in 72 games. He further excelled in the 1977-78 season with 97 points in 65 games and in the 1978-79 season with 98 points in 66 games, earning consecutive selections to the WCHL/WHL First All-Star team. As team captain in 1978-79, he led the Wheat Kings to win the President's Cup, contributing 28 points in 22 playoff games. The team advanced to the 1979 Memorial Cup tournament, reaching the final against the Peterborough Petes. McCrimmon was renowned for his exceptional stamina, often playing nearly the entire game. In the Memorial Cup final, he played for 60 minutes and 38 seconds, only leaving the ice to serve a two-minute penalty. Despite his Herculean effort, Brandon lost 2-1 in overtime after a crucial uncalled icing allowed Peterborough to score the championship-winning goal. Nevertheless, McCrimmon was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star team as a defenseman.

2.2. Professional League Career

McCrimmon's professional career began with his selection in a deep 1979 NHL Entry Draft, leading him to play for six different NHL teams over 18 seasons.

2.3. Playing Style and Evaluation

Brad McCrimmon was widely regarded as a "stay-at-home" defenseman, whose primary focus was to limit the opposition's scoring chances. He consistently played a physical game, excelling in the challenging areas of the ice, such as battling opponents in the corners and in front of the net. Throughout his extensive career, McCrimmon was paired with some of the era's best defensemen, including Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Ray Bourque, Mark Howe, Paul Coffey, as well as Nicklas Lidström and Chris Pronger.

McCrimmon's career plus-minus rating was an impressive +444. As of 2012, this total was surpassed by only nine players in NHL history, and it remains the highest plus-minus total among players not inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Brian Propp, a former teammate with the Philadelphia Flyers, recognized McCrimmon as one of the most underrated defensemen of his time. Hall of Famer Joe Mullen, who played alongside McCrimmon on the 1989 Stanley Cup Champion Calgary Flames, notably named McCrimmon as the most difficult player he ever faced. Off the ice, McCrimmon, known by nicknames like "Beast" and "Sarge," was often described as gruff and possessing a direct manner of speaking, which commanded respect among his peers. However, his former teammate Lanny McDonald revealed a softer side, stating: "He was tough, he was abrasive, but on the inside he was a big teddy bear, a big softie."

4.1. Junior Team Coaching

McCrimmon began his coaching career shortly after his retirement from playing. He joined the New York Islanders as an assistant coach to Mike Milbury on August 19, 1997. After two years, he left the Islanders to take on his first head coaching role with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League in 1999. In his two seasons with the Blades, he coached 144 games, achieving 50 wins and 15 ties. During the 1999-2000 season, McCrimmon led the Blades to a second-place finish in the East Division. The team secured a seven-game opening round playoff victory over the Regina Pats before being eliminated by the Calgary Hitmen.

4.2. NHL Assistant Coaching

In 2000, McCrimmon returned to the NHL as an assistant coach for the Calgary Flames, serving under head coach Don Hay. He remained with the team for two and a half seasons, working under both Hay and his successor, Greg Gilbert, until the entire coaching staff was replaced on December 3, 2002. McCrimmon returned to the NHL in 2004, joining the Atlanta Thrashers as an assistant. In his fourth season with the Thrashers, he was promoted to associate coach after general manager Don Waddell fired head coach Bob Hartley during the 2007-08 season. McCrimmon had been offered the Thrashers' head coaching position following Waddell's dismissal but declined after the team failed to guarantee he would retain the position beyond the end of that season. Leaving the Thrashers, McCrimmon signed a three-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008 to serve as an assistant coach.

4.3. KHL Appointment and Tragic Death

Seeking to further his coaching career, Brad McCrimmon departed the Detroit Red Wings on May 19, 2011. Just ten days later, on May 29, he was introduced as the new head coach of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). McCrimmon expressed his hope that coaching the Russian club would eventually lead him to an NHL head coaching position in the future.

Tragically, McCrimmon never had the opportunity to coach a regular season game for Lokomotiv. On September 7, 2011, he was killed in the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash while en route to the team's first game of the season against HC Dinamo Minsk. The Yak-42 aircraft crashed approximately 1.2 mile ^{(2 km)} from Minsk-1 Airport in Belarus, claiming the lives of nearly the entire team and staff, with a total of 44 fatalities, including McCrimmon. This devastating event sent shockwaves through the global hockey community, marking a profound loss for the sport and for all who knew him.

7.1. Regular season and playoffs

7.2. International

7.3. Coaching