Mel Bridgman

Melvin John Bridgman (April 28, 1955 – November 6, 2025) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League NHL) for five teams from 1975–76 until 1988–89. He participated in two Stanley Cup Finals with the Philadelphia Flyers (1976, 1980) and was the team captain for both the Flyers and the New Jersey Devils during his career. He later would become a player agent and front office executive, serving as the first general manager of the contemporary Ottawa Senators franchise.

Early life Mel was born in Trenton, Ontario, but spent his early years in Thunder Bay, Ontario where he first began to play hockey seriously. He was the youngest of three siblings. His father, Richard, was a meteorologist and his mother Mary (née Watt), was a teacher and later a homemaker. When Mel was a teenager the family once again moved this time to Victoria, British Columbia following a job transfer for his father. Despite living in Ontario, his father was a fan of the Montreal Canadiens.

Playing career

Bridgman was drafted first overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. He played 977 career NHL games, scoring 252 goals and 449 assists for 701 points, as well as adding 1625 penalty minutes. His best offensive season was the 1981–82 season, when he set career highs with 33 goals, 54 assists, and 87 points. Throughout his career Bridgman was known as a consistent offensive contributor, a smart defensive centre, and a gritty, hard-nosed, power forward who would check and fight regularly.

Post-playing career After his playing career, Bridgman earned a masters degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in business administration in 1991. He parlayed that into a position as the general manager of the expansion Ottawa Senators in 1991 ahead of the team's entry into the NHL in 1992.

Bridgman's tenure as general manager only lasted one season, marked by the team's ineptitude and his own problems with drafting talent; in fact, three separate times during the expansion draft, due in large part to Senators management forgetting to bring a power supply or batteries to power the computer the team's draft information was stored on, Bridgman made three illegal selections and was forced to apologize for each one. After the Senators finish with a 10-70-4 record, Bridgman was dismissed from his role. One of his sons was bullied at school the day after his firing. He never took another job in professional hockey.

Personal life and death After his firing from the Senators, Bridgman went into finance, and worked for Smith Barney in California, residing with his family in Manhattan Beach. He continued to be involved in hockey, coaching his sons' hockey teams.

In 1983 he married Ann Carter, although they later divorced. Together they had four children, sons Jamie, Patrick, Geoffrey, and a daughter Christine.

Bridgman died from heart failure on November 6, 2025, at the age of 70 in Victoria. His family launched a memorial fund in his name to raise money for CTE research.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1971–72 Victoria Racquet Club Minor-BC — — — — — — — — — — 1971–72 Victoria Cougars WCHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1972–73 Nanaimo Clippers BCHL 49 37 50 87 31 — — — — — 1972–73 Victoria Cougars WCHL 4 1 1 2 0 — — — — — 1973–74 Victoria Cougars WCHL 62 26 39 65 149 — — — — — 1974–75 Victoria Cougars WCHL 66 66 91 157 175 12 12 6 18 34 1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 80 23 27 50 86 16 6 8 14 31 1976–77 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 70 19 38 57 120 7 1 0 1 8 1977–78 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 76 16 32 48 203 12 1 7 8 36 1978–79 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 76 24 35 59 184 8 1 2 3 17 1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 74 16 31 47 136 19 2 9 11 70 1980–81 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 77 14 37 51 195 12 2 4 6 39 1981–82 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 9 7 5 12 47 — — — — — 1981–82 Calgary Flames NHL 63 26 49 75 94 3 2 0 2 14 1982–83 Calgary Flames NHL 79 19 31 50 103 9 3 4 7 33 1983–84 New Jersey Devils NHL 79 23 38 61 121 — — — — — 1984–85 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 22 39 61 105 — — — — — 1985–86 New Jersey Devils NHL 78 23 40 63 80 — — — — — 1986–87 New Jersey Devils NHL 51 8 31 39 80 — — — — — 1986–87 Detroit Red Wings NHL 13 2 2 4 19 16 5 2 7 28 1987–88 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 2 1 2 3 0 — — — — — 1987–88 Detroit Red Wings NHL 57 6 11 17 42 16 4 1 5 12 1988–89 Vancouver Canucks NHL 15 4 3 7 10 7 1 2 3 10 NHL totals 977 252 449 701 1,625 125 28 39 67 298

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1975 Canada WJC 5 1 4 5 9

Awards Bob Brownridge Memorial Trophy (WCHL leading scorer) - 1975 WCHL All-Star Team – 1975