Brian Spencer

Brian Roy "Spinner" Spencer (September 3, 1949 – June 3, 1988) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Career

Brian Spencer was drafted in the fifth round, 55th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1969 NHL amateur draft. On December 12, 1970, when Spencer was called up to play with the Leafs in what was his first NHL game on television, he telephoned his father Roy in British Columbia to tell him to watch the game that night on Hockey Night in Canada. Spencer was to be interviewed between periods of the game. However, a game featuring the Vancouver Canucks versus the California Golden Seals was aired instead. Infuriated, Roy Spencer drove to Prince George, where the closest TV station, CKPG-TV (then a CBC Television affiliate), is located. When he arrived, he ordered station staff, at gunpoint, to broadcast the Maple Leafs game or, if no feed was available, to turn off the hockey entirely. The station complied, but as Roy Spencer left the station, he was confronted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. After a brief stand-off Roy Spencer was shot and killed.

Death After hockey, Spencer submerged himself in a life of alcohol and violence. In 1987, he was charged with kidnapping and murder in Florida and faced the death penalty. Family and friends, including ex-teammates, gathered around him and tried to help. A former teammate from the Sabres, Rick Martin, tried to help by testifying as a character witness at his trial. The jury returned a not guilty verdict in March 1988 and Spencer vowed to change his life. Despite the acquittal, Spencer's life continued to spiral out of control. Three months later, Spencer died under similar circumstances to his father; he was fatally shot in a robbery following a crack cocaine purchase in Riviera Beach, Florida.

Spencer was survived by five children from two marriages, and his twin brother, Byron.

Gross Misconduct: The Life of Spinner Spencer In 1989, Martin O'Malley authored the biography Gross Misconduct: The Life of Spinner Spencer. The book was adapted in 1993, by Paul Gross, for the Canadian TV movie Gross Misconduct ( Gross Misconduct: The Life of Spinner Spencer). It was directed by Atom Egoyan, who later called it one of the turning points of his career.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1967–68 Calgary Centennials WCHL 34 13 10 23 27 — — — — — 1967–68 Regina Pats WCHL 23 1 2 3 12 — — — — — 1968–69 Estevan Bruins WCHL 53 19 29 48 120 4 3 1 4 14 1968–69 Swift Current Broncos WCHL — — — — — — — — — — 1969–70 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 9 0 0 0 12 — — — — — 1969–70 Tulsa Oilers CHL 66 13 19 32 186 — — — — — 1970–71 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 50 9 15 24 115 6 0 1 1 17 1970–71 Tulsa Oilers CHL 23 6 8 14 103 — — — — — 1971–72 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 36 1 5 6 65 — — — — — 1971–72 Tulsa Oilers CHL 20 7 7 14 115 — — — — — 1972–73 New York Islanders NHL 78 14 24 38 90 — — — — — 1973–74 New York Islanders NHL 54 5 16 21 65 — — — — — 1973–74 Buffalo Sabres NHL 13 3 2 5 4 — — — — — 1974–75 Buffalo Sabres NHL 73 12 29 41 77 16 0 4 4 8 1975–76 Buffalo Sabres NHL 77 13 26 39 70 9 1 0 1 4 1976–77 Buffalo Sabres NHL 77 14 15 29 55 6 0 0 0 0 1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 79 9 11 20 81 — — — — — 1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 7 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1978–79 Binghamton Dusters AHL 39 5 9 14 58 — — — — — 1979–80 Springfield Indians AHL 9 1 1 2 0 — — — — — 1979–80 Hershey Bears AHL 30 0 4 4 23 — — — — — NHL totals 553 80 143 223 634 37 1 5 6 29