Bradley Scott May (born November 29, 1971) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). In the 2006–07 season he won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

as a member of the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...

. He currently works as an NHL analyst with AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. May was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, but grew up in

Markham, Ontario Markham () is a city in Regional Municipality of York, York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in ...

Playing career

May was drafted by the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

, 14th overall, in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. While not a prolific scorer, May contributed to Sabres history in his second full season with the team. In Game 4 of the opening round of the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs against the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

, the teams were tied at 5 and required overtime to decide a winner. May took a pass from a falling

Pat LaFontaine Patrick Michael LaFontaine (born February 22, 1965) is an American former ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and spent his entire playing career with the league's New York State-based teams. He was inducted into the ...

at center ice, deked past

Ray Bourque Raymond Jean Bourque (born December 28, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memorial ...

, then went on goal where he faked out Andy Moog, which caused him to fall and leave an open space for May to score on a wrist shot. The goal not only won the game but secured Buffalo's upset of the second-best team in the NHL. The goal is referred to informally as the "Mayday goal", thanks to the following call from Sabres voice

Rick Jeanneret John Richard Jeanneret (July 23, 1942 – August 17, 2023) was a Canadian television and radio personality best known as the play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres and its broadcast network, the Sabres Hockey Ne ...

: May was later traded by the Sabres to the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

for forward

Geoff Sanderson Geoffrey M. Sanderson (born February 1, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger, most notably for the Hartford Whalers and Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Drafted by the Hartford ...

on February 5, 1998. After sitting out during the

2004–05 NHL lockout The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play. The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...

, May signed with the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

as an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

for two years on August 20, 2005. May's signing caused much conjecture and debate in Colorado due to his role played in the previous season's Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Moore incident as a Vancouver Canuck. He was later traded on February 27, 2007, to the

for goaltender Michael Wall. The Ducks went on to win the

that year. On July 4, 2007, May re-signed as a free agent with Anaheim for another two years. In the 2007–08 season, May played his 900th career NHL game on November 16, 2007, and scoring his 125th career goal as the Ducks beat the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

6-3. May was selected during the year to ride on Anaheim city's float at the 2008

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

to accompany and parade the Stanley Cup. During the 2008–09 season on January 7, 2009, May was traded from the Ducks to the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

in exchange for a conditional 6th round draft pick in 2010. On April 8, 2009, May played in his 1,000th career NHL game against the Buffalo Sabres. It was no coincidence that the milestone came against the Buffalo Sabres, as he was purposely sat out for the previous game. On September 23, 2009, May was invited to try out for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, reuniting temporarily with former Vancouver teammates Todd Bertuzzi and

Dan Cloutier Daniel Cloutier (born April 22, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender, who has recently taken on an Executive position with the Ontario Hockey League , OHL Guelph Storm, the team he completed his Junior Career. In his 10- ...

. May made his Red Wings debut in a pre-season game on September 25, 2009. At the start of the 2009–10 season on October 8, 2009, May then signed a one-year contract with the Red Wings. After posting 2 assists in 40 games with Red Wings May was put on waiver to clear roster room for Andreas Lilja on February 12, 2010. After clearing waivers and briefly contemplating possible retirement May decided to report to Wings AHL affiliate, the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

, to play out the season. In an expanded role with the Griffins May scored 10 points in 17 games before he was returned to Detroit as a part of the extended squad for the playoffs.

Post-playing career and broadcasting

On September 20, 2010, without an offer of a new contract, May effectively announced his retirement in accepting a position as a

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

analyst. Following the retirement of longtime

analyst

Mike Robitaille Michael James David Robitaille (born February 12, 1948) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman (ice hockey), defenceman and commentator. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wi ...

after the 2013-14 season, May joined the Sabres broadcast crew on a limited basis before moving into Robitaille's slot in a full-time role for the NHL 2014-15 season. May was replaced on Sabres broadcasts by

Martin Biron Martin Gaston Biron (; born August 15, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round (16th overall) of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, he spent the first half of his 16-year Nationa ...

following the 2016-2017 season. Beginning with the 2017-2018 season, May serves as an analyst for the

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...

with AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. In 2024, May competed on the tenth season of '' The Amazing Race Canada'' with his daughter Sam, where they finished 8th out of 11 teams.

Incidents

Phoenix Coyotes

As a member of the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

on November 11, 2000, May was suspended for 20 games for slashing

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

forward Steve Heinze in the nose with his stick. Heinze would need nine stitches, but returned to the ice quickly. After the game, May apologized to Heinze, who accepted the apology. At the time, the 20-game suspension was the fourth longest in NHL history. In 2002, May was arrested after assaulting a police officer and disorderly conduct at a nightclub in

Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...

. He was consequently sued by the police officer and in December 2005, was ordered to pay damages from a civil jury.

Steve Moore

May was also noted for allegedly putting the bounty on the head of the

's Steve Moore that ultimately resulted in the Todd Bertuzzi incident that essentially ended Moore's career. May was named in a lawsuit filed by Moore, but the plaintiff was unable to prove if May did in fact put out a bounty on Moore, so the suit charges was later dropped in Colorado as the case was moved to a Canadian court.

Kim Johnsson

May was suspended for three games in the

2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs The 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 11, 2007. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played Playoff format#Best-of-seven playoff, best-of-seven series for conference quarterfinals, se ...

for punching

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

Kim Johnsson in the face during the final minutes of Game Four between the Ducks and Wild. Both teams were involved in a large scrum of fighting, pushing, and shoving. May turned around and without warning punched Johnsson, who was skating towards the scrum. Johnsson was knocked unconscious for a short amount of time. Johnsson was not seriously injured, but was hospitalized, and missed Game Five of the series. The Ducks would win that game and eliminate the Wild from the Playoffs. In an interview, May said that he intended to contact Johnsson to apologize and explain what happened.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:May, Brad 1971 births Living people Anaheim Ducks players Battle of the Blades participants Buffalo Sabres announcers Buffalo Sabres draft picks Buffalo Sabres players Canadian ice hockey left wingers Colorado Avalanche players Detroit Red Wings players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Grand Rapids Griffins players Ice hockey people from Toronto NHL first-round draft picks Niagara Falls Thunder players Phoenix Coyotes players Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players Vegas Golden Knights announcers Vancouver Canucks players Ice hockey people from Markham, Ontario