Todd Bergen
Encyclopedia
Todd Bergen is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey
centre
who had a short-lived career, most notably with the Philadelphia Flyers
of the National Hockey League
in 1984–85.
of the Western Hockey League
. He had actually not played in an organized hockey league until he was 16 years old, but was able to make the Raiders just a couple of years later. He was drafted 98th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers
in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft
, even before he played a game with the Raiders. It did not take him long to produce for the Raiders, who were in their first season ever, as he scored 81 points in 70 games in his first season in 1982–83. The next year he got off to a torrid start, scoring 50 goals in his first 35 games of the season and finished the year with 57 goals and 96 points in only 43 games.
The next season he started with the Hershey Bears
of the American Hockey League
, and once again put his scoring skills to work, scoring 20 goals and 39 points in only 38 games. He played well enough to get called up to the Philadelphia Flyers
by January. In his first NHL game on January 8, 1985, he scored two goals including the game-winner in a 5–3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks
in Philadelphia. However, the next game he suffered an abdominal injury that caused him to miss two months of play. After two months the injury did not heal, but he returned to action. Despite the pain he was in when he was playing, Bergen managed to score goals in each of his first three games back, as well as scoring five goals in the final four games of the regular season, and the team was undefeated after he returned. In the playoffs that year he led all rookies with 13 points, and helped the Flyers reach the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals
However, Bergen often clashed with Flyers' coach Mike Keenan
, whom Bergen felt criticized him far too often, and their relationship never improved. According to Bergen, Keenan made him do two-a-day workouts on and off the ice after he came back and made sure that players would stand guard to make sure that Bergen did what he was supposed to do, all while he still had his abdominal injury. As a result, Bergen refused to report to training camp the following year, and was promptly suspended by the Flyers. Bergen said he lost his love for the game because of Keenan and the Flyers, and announced his retirement in September 1985 to pursue a professional golfing career. He was then suspended by the Flyers for refusing to report to training camp. Bergen was a pretty good golf
er, having only a minus-one handicap, and played in some Pro-Am tournaments in Florida. In the meantime he was traded by the Flyers to the Minnesota North Stars
on November 29, 1985.
He reported to the North Stars, but after his second practice with the team, the pain in his abdomen returned. The North Stars took an MRI, and found that Bergen's injury was more serious than many thought. He missed the whole 1985–86 season as a result. The next year, Bergen returned to play for the North Stars' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Indians
. He managed to score 12 goals and 23 points in 27 games. However, when his contract expired after the season, the North Stars did not offer him a new one. Instead, Bergen quit hockey again, and once again moved on to play golf. He was a club pro in Prince Albert, then later on Vancouver Island
.
Bergen now owns a tackle business in Campbell River
, British Columbia
called Dymara Industries. In the December 14, 2004 issue of The Hockey News
, there was a feature article by Mike Brophy remembering the career of Bergen and in a quote by Bergen in the article, "I didn't disappear; I got disappeared" to explain what happened to his NHL career.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
centre
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
who had a short-lived career, most notably with 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...
of 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...
in 1984–85.
Playing career
Bergen started off his notable career with the Prince Albert RaidersPrince Albert Raiders
The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the Saskatchewan city of Prince Albert...
of the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
. He had actually not played in an organized hockey league until he was 16 years old, but was able to make the Raiders just a couple of years later. He was drafted 98th overall 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...
in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft
1982 NHL Entry Draft
The 1982 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1981–82 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those players...
, even before he played a game with the Raiders. It did not take him long to produce for the Raiders, who were in their first season ever, as he scored 81 points in 70 games in his first season in 1982–83. The next year he got off to a torrid start, scoring 50 goals in his first 35 games of the season and finished the year with 57 goals and 96 points in only 43 games.
The next season he started with the Hershey Bears
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League, and is currently the top affiliate of the NHL Washington Capitals. The hockey club is based in the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, located within Derry Township some 14 miles east of...
of 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...
, and once again put his scoring skills to work, scoring 20 goals and 39 points in only 38 games. He played well enough to get called up to 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...
by January. In his first NHL game on January 8, 1985, he scored two goals including the game-winner in a 5–3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
in Philadelphia. However, the next game he suffered an abdominal injury that caused him to miss two months of play. After two months the injury did not heal, but he returned to action. Despite the pain he was in when he was playing, Bergen managed to score goals in each of his first three games back, as well as scoring five goals in the final four games of the regular season, and the team was undefeated after he returned. In the playoffs that year he led all rookies with 13 points, and helped the Flyers reach the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals
1985 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1985 Stanley Cup Finals was played between the defending champion Edmonton Oilers in their third-straight Finals appearance and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Oilers would win the best-of-seven series four games to one, to win their second Stanley Cup. It was also the sixth straight Finals of...
However, Bergen often clashed with Flyers' coach Mike Keenan
Mike Keenan
Michael Edward Keenan is a former head coach in the National Hockey League , most recently with the Calgary Flames, and former General Manager of the Florida Panthers. He is currently working as an analyst for the New York Rangers on MSG Network.Keenan was a player for the St...
, whom Bergen felt criticized him far too often, and their relationship never improved. According to Bergen, Keenan made him do two-a-day workouts on and off the ice after he came back and made sure that players would stand guard to make sure that Bergen did what he was supposed to do, all while he still had his abdominal injury. As a result, Bergen refused to report to training camp the following year, and was promptly suspended by the Flyers. Bergen said he lost his love for the game because of Keenan and the Flyers, and announced his retirement in September 1985 to pursue a professional golfing career. He was then suspended by the Flyers for refusing to report to training camp. Bergen was a pretty good golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er, having only a minus-one handicap, and played in some Pro-Am tournaments in Florida. In the meantime he was traded by the Flyers to the Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
on November 29, 1985.
He reported to the North Stars, but after his second practice with the team, the pain in his abdomen returned. The North Stars took an MRI, and found that Bergen's injury was more serious than many thought. He missed the whole 1985–86 season as a result. The next year, Bergen returned to play for the North Stars' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Indians
Springfield Indians
The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existence for a total of 60 seasons from 1926 to 1994, with...
. He managed to score 12 goals and 23 points in 27 games. However, when his contract expired after the season, the North Stars did not offer him a new one. Instead, Bergen quit hockey again, and once again moved on to play golf. He was a club pro in Prince Albert, then later on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
.
Bergen now owns a tackle business in Campbell River
Campbell River, British Columbia
Campbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
called Dymara Industries. In the December 14, 2004 issue of The Hockey News
The Hockey News
The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...
, there was a feature article by Mike Brophy remembering the career of Bergen and in a quote by Bergen in the article, "I didn't disappear; I got disappeared" to explain what happened to his NHL career.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
+/- | PPG | SHG | GWG | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1982–83 | Prince Albert Raiders Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the Saskatchewan city of Prince Albert... |
WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
70 | 34 | 47 | 81 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 43 | 57 | 39 | 96 | 15 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1983–84 1983–84 AHL season The 1983–84 AHL season was the 48th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The league initiates two new awards. The Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award is first awarded to the league's "best goaltender." The Jack A... |
Springfield Indians Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existence for a total of 60 seasons from 1926 to 1994, with... |
AHL 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... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 1984–85 AHL season The 1984–85 AHL season was the 49th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Binghamton Whalers finished first overall in the regular season... |
Hershey Bears Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League, and is currently the top affiliate of the NHL Washington Capitals. The hockey club is based in the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, located within Derry Township some 14 miles east of... |
AHL | 38 | 20 | 19 | 39 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | 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... |
NHL | 14 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 4 | +9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 8 | ||
| 1986–87 1986–87 AHL season The 1986–87 AHL season was the 51st season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The league institutes awarding one point in the standings, for an overtime loss... |
Springfield Indians | AHL | 27 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 14 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 4 | +9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 8 | ||||