Western Hockey League mourns passing of Mel Bridgman

The Western Hockey League is mourning the passing of former Victoria Cougars forward Mel Bridgman.

Bridgman passed away Saturday at the age of 70.

Born in Trenton, Ont., before moving to Victoria, B.C., Bridgman played parts of four seasons with the Cougars, including the 1974-75 season in which he led the WHL in scoring with 157 points (66G-91A) in 66 games.

Over 136 career WHL regular season games, Bridgman recorded 224 points (93G-131A).

Bridgman went on to be selected first overall in the 1975 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. He enjoyed a 14-season NHL career, collecting 701 points (252G-449A) in 977 games, spread across campaigns with the Flyers, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, and Vancouver Canucks.

For three seasons – 1979-80 to 1981-82 – Bridgman served as captain of the Flyers. Though he never hoisted the Stanley Cup, Bridgman helped the Flyers to two Stanley Cup Finals appearances in 1976 and 1980.

The 1981-82 campaign was Bridgman’s best from a scoring standpoint, as he secured 87 points (33G-54A) in 72 games split between the Flyers and Flames.

Bridgman then served as captain of the Devils for three seasons – 1984-85 to 1986-87. He finished his NHL career in 1988-89, playing 15 games with the Canucks.

A mere two years after completing his playing career, Bridgman became the first ever General Manager of the NHL’s expansion Ottawa Senators. He served as GM of the Senators for the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons, and oversaw the Senators first ever NHL Draft, in which they selected future franchise star Alexei Yashin with the second-overall pick.

In 2005, Bridgman was inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame and the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame.

On behalf of the WHL and its 23 member Clubs, we extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family, friends, and teammates of Mel.