Brad Park

Scarborough was where Brad Park learned to read the game as much as to play it : under the guidance of a father who coached and refereed youth hockey, he developed against older competition and won the Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament before advancing through Junior B and with the Toronto Marlboros to a 1967 Memorial Cup. Taken second overall by the New York Rangers in the 1966 amateur draft, Park had a short stint with the Buffalo Bisons (AHL) and made his NHL debut in 1968. He quickly grew into New York’s top blueliner, praised for puck skills, playmaking and a willingness to engage physically; early in his career he set club and league marks, including a four-assist game that was a Rangers first for a defenseman. Park’s peak years in New York included a 1971-72 campaign of 73 points that helped send the Rangers to the Stanley Cup final. He was part of a blockbuster trade on November 7, 1975, that sent him, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi to Boston for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais. In Boston under Don Cherry, Park shifted emphasis toward defense while remaining an offensive contributor; he recorded his best single-season total of 82 points in 1973-74 and was named Best Defenceman of the 1972 Summit Series for Team Canada. He signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 1983-84, won the Bill Masterton Trophy that season and set a Red Wings record for assists by a defenseman, reaching his 1,000th NHL game on December 23, 1983. Persistent knee problems led him to retire after the 1985 season. He served briefly as Detroit’s head coach in 1986. Park finished his playing career with 213 goals, 896 points and 1,113 regular-season games, and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988; he was later named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. Park combined confident puck movement, stickhandling and tenacity; he could drive the rush from the blue line, kill penalties and still contribute power-play offence while logging heavy minutes.