| Mel Bridgman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born | (1955-04-28)April 28, 1955 Trenton, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Died | November 6, 2025(2025-11-06) (aged 70) Comox, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Detroit Red Wings Vancouver Canucks | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| NHL draft | 1st overall,1975 Philadelphia Flyers | ||
| WHA draft | 4th overall,1975 Denver Spurs | ||
| Playing career | 1975–1989 | ||
Melvin John Bridgman (April 28, 1955 – November 6, 2025) was a Canadian professional ice hockeycentre who played 14 seasons in theNational Hockey League NHL) for five teams from1975–76 until1988–89. He participated in twoStanley Cup Finals with thePhiladelphia Flyers (1976, 1980) and was the team captain for both the Flyers and theNew Jersey Devils during his career. He later would become a player agent and front office executive, serving as the first general manager of the modernOttawa Senators franchise.
Bridgman was born inTrenton, Ontario, but grew up inThunder Bay, Ontario, before moving toVictoria, British Columbia.[1]
Bridgman was drafted first overall by thePhiladelphia Flyers in the1975 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 the1981–82 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.
After his playing career, Bridgman earned amasters degree from theWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania inbusiness administration. He parlayed that into a position as the general manager of the expansionOttawa Senators in 1991 ahead of the team's entry into the NHL in 1992.[2]
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 theexpansion 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.[3]
Bridgman went into finance after his firing, working forSmith Barney in California. He was married and had at least one child.[4]
Bridgman died from heart failure on November 6, 2025, at the age of 70.[5][6]
| 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 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Canada | WJC | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Preceded by | NHL first overall draft pick 1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Philadelphia Flyers' first round draft pick 1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Philadelphia Flyers captain 1979–81 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New Jersey Devils captain 1984–87 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Position created | General manager of the Ottawa Senators 1992–1993 | Succeeded by |