Andy Brickley
Encyclopedia
Andrew Brickley is a former professional hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...

 player, who spent 14 seasons playing in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

, American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

, and the International Hockey League. He currently serves as the color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...

 for the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

 on the New England Sports Network
New England Sports Network
The New England Sports Network, or NESN [NESS-en], is a regional cable television network that covers the six New England states except Fairfield County, Connecticut and Southbury, Connecticut, a town in New Haven County, Connecticut which is covered by New York City sports networks...

.

College career

Brickley played for the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...

 Wildcats
New Hampshire Wildcats
The New Hampshire Wildcats, or Cats, are the athletic teams of the University of New Hampshire. The wildcat is the school's official mascot, the colors are UNH Blue and white...

 from 1979 to 1982. In 93 games for the Wildcats, Brickley scored 68 goals with 69 assists for a total of 137 points. He led the Wildcats to the NCAA Final Four in 1982 and was named first team NCAA All-American the same year.

Professional career

Brickley was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 with the last overall pick in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft
1980 NHL Entry Draft
The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum. This was the first time that an NHL arena hosted the draft. The National Hockey League teams selected 210 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1979–80 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the...

. Andy became the second player, after Gerry Meehan
Gerry Meehan
Gerard Marcus Meehan is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and the former general manager and Senior Vice President of the Buffalo Sabres.-Playing career:...

, to play in the NHL after being drafted last overall. Brickley first appeared with the Flyers during the 1982–83 season.

In October 1983, the Flyers traded Brickley to the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...

 with Ron Flockhart
Ron Flockhart (ice hockey)
Ronald E. "Flockey Hockey" Flockhart is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player.-Playing career:Ron Flockhart scored over 300 NHL points in the 1980s playing mostly with the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues...

, Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor (hockey)
Mark C. Taylor is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Taylor played in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals...

, and two 1984 draft picks in exchange for Rich Sutter
Rich Sutter
Richard G. Sutter is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. He is part of the...

 and two 1984 draft picks. Brickley played a total of 95 games for the Penguins over two seasons, totaling 25 goals and 35 assists. He was demoted to the Baltimore Skipjacks
Baltimore Skipjacks
The Baltimore Skipjacks were a minor professional ice hockey team in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League and the American Hockey League. They played in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Baltimore Arena.-History:...

 briefly after he was caught breaking curfew with teammate Mike Bullard in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

.

The New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 acquired Brickley in 1985 and sent him to the Maine Mariners
Maine Mariners
The Maine Mariners were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Portland, Maine, USA at the Cumberland County Civic Center.-History:...

 for the 1985-86
1985–86 AHL season
The 1985–86 AHL season was the 50th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears finished first overall in the regular season...

 season. In 60 games, he collected 26 goals and 34 assists, giving him the fourth-most points on the team. He made his debut with the Devils in 1986 and appeared in a total of 96 games in two seasons, collecting 19 goals and 26 assists. In 1987, he took a puck off his face in a game in Chicago, losing five teeth and getting 30 stitches, the first time in his career he would be injured that way. Brickley was placed on waivers following the 1987-88 season and left unprotected by the team in the waiver draft, though the Devils demoted him to the Utica Devils
Utica Devils
The Utica Devils were an ice hockey team of the American Hockey League. The team played in Utica, New York at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.-History:...

 in an effort to hide him from other teams and hold onto him for an additional season. The Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

 picked Brickley up in the waiver draft.

Brickley played in 71 games with the Bruins in the 1988-89 season, with 13 goals and 22 assists. In addition to his natural position at left wing, he played center and right wing frequently, filling in any position needed by Bruins coach Terry O'Reilly
Terry O'Reilly
Terence Joseph James O'Reilly is a retired ice hockey right winger, who played for the NHL's Boston Bruins, and one of the most effective enforcers in NHL history....

—a trend that continued the following season under Mike Milbury
Mike Milbury
Michael Milbury is an American sportscaster currently working as an ice hockey analyst for the New England Sports Network , Hockey Night in Canada and the NHL on NBC. He played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League , all of them as a defenseman for the Boston Bruins...

. On December 5, 1988, Brickley took another puck off his face—this time with a purpose, receiving credit for a goal after a Ray Bourque
Ray Bourque
Raymond Jean "Ray" Bourque is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player. He currently holds records for most goals, assists and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League . Bourque has become near-synonymous with the Boston Bruins franchise, for which he played 21 seasons and...

 slapshot bounced off his face and into the goal. The injury required five stitches.

Brickley was on his way to the best season of his career in 1989-90 before being struck down by injuries. He scored his first goal of the season on October 26, 1989 against the Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...

. On November 18, he collected his first career hat trick against the Devils, the team that left him unprotected in the waiver draft two years earlier. Brickley said of the occasion, "Whenever I can score against New Jersey, it is that much sweeter...I wanted to show them they made a mistake." Just days later, Brickley suffered an injury that severely hindered his ability to walk. In January, he pulled a muscle in his thigh and missed about a week's worth of games. 43 games into the season, after totalling a career-high 40 points, Brickley was sidelined for most of the remainder of the season when doctors discovered that the muscle in his right leg was calcifying, a condition known as myositis ossificans
Myositis ossificans
Myositis ossificans comprises two syndromes characterized by heterotopic ossification of muscle.-Classification:* In the first, and by far most common type, nonhereditary myositis ossificans , calcifications occur at the site of injured muscle, most commonly in the arms or...

. Despite the injury and the fact that Brickley had not played in months, Milbury permitted Brickley to play briefly in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals at Brickley's request.

Brickley had his leg operation on July 17, 1990 and ended up missing all of training camp. The Bruins placed Brickley on waivers that December after he struggled to return to form during the early part of the season. Brickley reported to the Maine Mariners after going unclaimed, expressing a desire to remain with the Bruins organization, though he said he also felt unsure about his future with the team: "They say they're concerned about my game shape. Well, if they're concerned about that, why not send me down for the two-week conditioning period? Instead, they put me on irrevocable waivers. It really makes me wonder what my future is in the Bruins organization." Brickley went on a tear with the Mariners, collecting 25 points in 17 games and earning a brief recall to Boston, finishing the season with 2 goals and 9 assists in 40 NHL games before injuring his shoulder in February.

Brickley began the 1991-92 season in Maine, cut out of training camp in September. He did well with the Mariners and was named team captain out of training camp before rejoining the Bruins in October. He proved his value after being recalled, with 19 points in his first 11 games, including making 8 goals on 15 shots in that span before suffering a shoulder injury in a game against the Hartford Whalers
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...

 in November. Brickley's hot start was subsequently stopped when it turned out he had a torn rotator cuff
Rotator cuff
In anatomy, the rotator cuff is the group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. The four muscles of the rotator cuff, along with the teres major muscle, the coracobrachialis muscle and the deltoid, make up the seven scapulohumeral muscles of the human body.-Function:The...

 and required surgery to repair the injury. He remained sidelined until February, first appearing in a charity skills competition with his teammates (and winning the shooting accuracy contest) and then returning to the lineup in mid-February at St. Louis. Still struggling late in the season, however, the Bruins eventually returned Brickley and other veterans to Maine, favoring youth over experience, and eventually cutting ties with them all after the season ended.

After being released by Boston, Brickley latched on with the Winnipeg Jets, signing a two-way contract
Two-way contract
A two-way contract is a professional sports contract which stipulates that an athlete’s salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play in...

 and beginning the season with the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

's Moncton Hawks
Moncton Hawks
The Moncton Hawks were a professional ice hockey team based in Moncton, New Brunswick. They played in the American Hockey League between 1987 and 1994 operated as a minor league affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. Home games were played at the Moncton Coliseum...

. After about three weeks in the AHL, the Jets recalled Brickley for an eleven-game stretch in which he collected only two points. Brickley would play one more game for them that season and for one playoff game in which he collected a goal and an assist. While playing for the Hawks that season, however, Brickley collected 15 goals and 36 assists in 38 games. Brickley appeared in just two games for Winnipeg the following season, but continued to have success in the AHL. He played in barely more than half of the Hawks' first 56 games while recovering from a rotator cuff injury, but following his brief two-game callup with the Jets, he led the league in shooting at 26.7 percent and collected four assists in a single game against Fredericton the night after scoring the game-tying goal with four seconds remaining in regulation.

For the 1994-95 season, Brickley latched on with the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

, but never appeared in a game for them. Instead, he was assigned to the International Hockey League's Denver Grizzlies
Utah Grizzlies
The Utah Grizzlies are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play out of West Valley City, Utah, United States, with their home games at the Maverik Center.- Franchise history :...

, missing the first month and a half of the season with knee trouble. He returned to score 50 points in 58 games with the Grizzlies and lead them to the Turner Cup
Turner Cup
The Turner Cup is the championship trophy of the International Hockey League. The Cup is named for Joe Turner, a goaltender from Windsor, Ontario. Turner became professional with the Detroit Red Wings organization, and played one season with the Indianapolis Capitals in the American Hockey League...

 for the first of two consecutive seasons. He played his final game with the Grizzlies in 1996 before retiring.

Years later, Brickley said of his career, "My story is a good one. I was always a B team player growing up. A walk-on through college and I finally got an opportunity because I stayed with it. I was the NHL's version of Mr. Irrelevant and I happily played 13 years."

Broadcasting career

Brickley's first experience as a broadcaster came when he was with the Grizzlies, participating in broadcasts while he was injured.

WBZ
WBZ (AM)
WBZ is the call sign for an AM radio station in Boston, Massachusetts owned by CBS Radio, itself owned by the CBS Corporation. Originally based in and broadcast from Springfield, Massachusetts, WBZ was the first commercial radio station in the United States...

 Radio hired Brickley in 1996 to replace Barry Pederson
Barry Pederson
Barry Alan Pederson is a retired professional ice hockey centre who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League between 1980 and 1992...

 as the color commentator on Bruins radio broadcasts. In 1997, UPN 38
WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV is a MyNetworkTV television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...

 selected Brickley as Derek Sanderson
Derek Sanderson
Derek Michael Sanderson, nicknamed "Turk", , is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is now a bank executive and restaurateur....

's replacement on Bruins television broadcasts. He joined NESN in 2000, initially working primarily road games with broadcaster Dave Shea
Dave Shea
Dave Shea is an Canadian web designer and co-author of The Zen of CSS Design: Visual Enlightenment for the Web.He is known for his work in web-standard development—from his design community project CSS Zen Garden to his active contributions at the Web Standards Project...

. Beginning with the 2005-06 season, Brickley called all games, doing the road games with Jack Edwards
Jack Edwards (sportscaster)
Jack Edwards is the play-by-play announcer for the Boston Bruins on NESN. He occasionally does play-by-play for NHL on Versus coverage as well.- Early career :...

 and the home games with Dale Arnold
Dale Arnold
Dale Arnold is a New England sportscaster who hosts Boston Bruins broadcasts on NESN. He is formerly the co-host of a popular midday sports talk radio show on WEEI and formerly the Bruins' play-by-play announcer on NESN...

. Since the 2007-08 season, he and Edwards have called all of NESN's Bruins telecasts. Brickley also does color commentary for Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...

 at various times throughout the season.

Brickley is known for using the phrase "get their skating game going" when the Bruins are mired in a stretch of lackluster play.

Personal life

Brickley currently resides in Hingham
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...

, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 with his wife and two daughters. Diane Brickley is on the board of directors for Good Sports, an organization that donates sporting goods to community organizations that offer sports programs to disadvantaged youths.

Brickley has a history of athleticism in his family. His grandfather, George Brickley
George Brickley
George Vincent Brickley was an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1913. He was born in Everett, Massachusetts.- Baseball career :...

, played for the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

 in 1913. His great-uncle was college football player and coach Charles Brickley
Charles Brickley
Charles Edward Brickley was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the Johns Hopkins University in 1915, at Boston College from 1916 to 1917, and at Fordham University in 1920 with Joseph DuMoe as co-coach, compiling a career college football record of 22–9...

. His younger brother Quintin also played hockey for the University of New Hampshire. His cousin Connor Brickley plays for the University of Vermont
Vermont Catamounts men's ice hockey
The Vermont Catamounts men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college ice hockey program that represents the University of Vermont. The Catamounts are a member of Hockey East. They play at the Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vermont...

.

External links

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