Former Victoria Cougars, National Hockey League player and Ottawa Senators general manager, Mel Bridgman has died at the age of 70.
The NHL Alumni Association announced his death on Saturday but have not disclosed the cause.
Bridgman played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks across his 14-year career. Two years after retiring, he was named the first GM for the expansion Senators in 1991 and held the role until 1993.
In a social media post, the NHL Alumni Association says it is “heartbroken,” over the news, adding that Bridgman “recorded 157 points in just 66 games for the Victoria Cougars of the Western Canada Hockey League (now the WHL) in 1974-75, the Philadelphia Flyers selected Mel first overall in the 1975 NHL amateur draft.
He scored his first career goal with the Flyers in his first career game on Oct. 9, 1975.
“Mel played his first 462 NHL games in a Flyers sweater, before suiting for the Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, and Vancouver Canucks, respectively,” states the association.
At the end of his career, Bridgman had racked up 701 points across 977 regular-season games from 1975 to 1989.
“Always a trusted and dependable teammate, Mel twice served as team captain on two occasions over the course of his 14 NHL seasons, with the Flyers from 1979 to 1981, and with the New Jersey Devils from 1984 to 87,” states the association.
In the summer of 1991, two years removed from his final season of play, Mel was named the first general manager of the expansion Ottawa Senators in 1991 and remained in the role until 1993.
In 2005, he was inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.
“We send our deepest condolences to Mel’s family, friends, and former teammates during this incredibly difficult time,” states the association.
–With files from the Canadian Press.