Bret Hedican
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Bret Michael Hedican (born August 10, 1970) is an American former professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) 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. In ice hockey, two o ...
player, a Stanley Cup champion, and a two-time US Olympian. A product of
St. Cloud State University St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Its enrollment in 2020 was approximatel ...
, Hedican played with the 1992 US Olympic Team before he made his NHL debut in the 1991–92 season with the Blues. In his third season with the Blues, Hedican was traded to the
Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
with Jeff Brown and
Nathan LaFayette Nathan LaFayette (born February 17, 1973) is a former ice hockey player in the NHL. He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the 3rd round (65th overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He played for the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, New York R ...
for
Craig Janney Craig Harlan Janney (born September 26, 1967) is an American former professional ice hockey center (ice hockey), center who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League from 1987–88 NHL season, 1987–88 until 1998–99 NHL season, 1998� ...
, on March 21, 1994, joining the Canucks in time for their Stanley Cup run that season.


Early life

Hedican was born on August 10, 1970, in
Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...
to parents Gerald and Theresa. He grew up alongside his older sister Kelly, who later married his
St. Cloud State University St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Its enrollment in 2020 was approximatel ...
teammate Scott Eichstadt. She began dating Eichstadt while Hedican was playing with
Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
at the
1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines) , opening = 8 February 1992 , closing = 23 February 1992 , opened_by = President François Mitterrand , cauldron ...
.


Playing career


Amateur

Growing up in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Hedican attended
North High School North High School may refer to: * North High School (Phoenix, Arizona) * North Pulaski High School, Jacksonville, Arkansas * North High School (Bakersfield, California) * John W. North High School, Riverside, California * North High School (Torrance ...
who retired his jersey number in 2006. During his high school career, he played four sports: hockey, football, soccer, and golf. Hedican played football in his freshman season before switching to soccer as a sophomore and junior, despite never playing it before. In his junior year, Hedican grew increasingly upset about his lack of playing time and spent the entire offseason bulking up. After expericing a growth spurt as a senior, in which he grew seven inches, he returned to football. As a senior, Hedican started the season playing his regular position as a winger but was forced to move to defense due to numerous injuries. He proved to be successful in this position and was nominated to The Associated Press All-State team and played in the Maroon and Gold All-Star Series for high school seniors. Although he was approached by many colleges, Hedican chose to play ice hockey for
St. Cloud State University St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Its enrollment in 2020 was approximatel ...
due to their scholarship offer. He later said: "It was a great opportunity to turn the program around, as they were bringing in 10 freshmen. We (his teammates) said that to each other, we stuck together and we had a good team while I was there." Prior to committing to St. Cloud, Hedican debated whether to play
major junior hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...
.


Collegiate

Hedican was drafted 198th overall by the
St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
in the
1988 NHL Entry Draft The 1988 NHL Entry Draft was the 26th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Teemu Selanne, who retired after the 2013–14 season. Selections by round Belo ...
. At the time of his selection, chief scout Ted Hampson compared his speed to that of a "young
Paul Coffey Paul Douglas Coffey (born June 1, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for nine teams over 21 seasons in the National Hockey League. Known for his speed and scoring prowess, Coffey ranks second all-time among ...
." In his sophomore season, Hedican returned to defence, replacing Jordy Wingate who took over his center position. When speaking of the decision, Hedican said: "I like to skate it up and see the play in front of me. That's what I liked to do...I've basically played defense all my life." His offensive output also improved, by December he had 11 points in only 16 games. He later said "going to St Cloud was the best thing that happened to me because I got thrown right in there and had to learn a lot." At the conclusion of his junior season, Hedican had recorded 19 goals and 30 assists and was named selected for the All-
WCHA The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...
First Team First team may refer to: Sports * First team (association football), the colloquial name given to the most senior team fielded by a football club * The First Team, the first players known to have played the sport of basketball * First Team All-A ...
. After opting out of his senior season, Hedican owned the team record for most points scored by a defenseman in a season with 48.


Professional


St. Louis Blues

Under the tutelage of
Herb Brooks Herbert Paul Brooks Jr. (August 5, 1937 – August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey player and coach (ice hockey), coach. His most notable achievement came in Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics, 1980 as head coach of the gold medal-winnin ...
, Hedican became the only Twin Cities player named to Team USA's roster for the
1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines) , opening = 8 February 1992 , closing = 23 February 1992 , opened_by = President François Mitterrand , cauldron ...
. Brooks had coached him during his time at St. Cloud. He was also placed on the
Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen is the name of four minor league hockey clubs: * Peoria Rivermen (IHL), named as such 1984–1996, formerly the Peoria Prancers 1982–1984 * Peoria Rivermen (ECHL), 1996–2005 * Peoria Rivermen (AHL), 2005–2013 * Peoria Rivermen ...
of the International Hockey League. Upon returning from the Olympics, he practised with his collegiate team while contract negotiations continued with the Blues. He did not play any games with the team in case he could not reach an agreement with the Blues, thus maintaining his collegiate eligibility. Hedican eventually signed with the Blues but missed 11 games with a broken foot due to a mistake during practice. He made his NHL debut on March 27, 1992, on a pairing with Brian Sutter and recorded his first career NHL goal in a 5–3 win over the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
on April 15. Following his first season, Hedican suffered a knee injury in September that delayed his start to the 1992–93 season. After being medically cleared to play, Hedican made his season debut on November 27 against the
Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
in a 7–5 win. Despite not scoring, Blues coach Bob Berry praised Hedican's play for his speed and puck play. He split his time during the season with the Rivermen in order to gain experience and practice. In spite of this, he was invited to the
NHL All-Star Game The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...
and placed second behind
Mike Gartner Michael Alfred Gartner (born October 29, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs ...
in the fastest skater competition. In his third season with the Blues, Hedican was traded to the Vancouver Canucks with Jeff Brown and
Nathan LaFayette Nathan LaFayette (born February 17, 1973) is a former ice hockey player in the NHL. He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the 3rd round (65th overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He played for the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, New York R ...
for
Craig Janney Craig Harlan Janney (born September 26, 1967) is an American former professional ice hockey center (ice hockey), center who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League from 1987–88 NHL season, 1987–88 until 1998–99 NHL season, 1998� ...
, on March 21, 1994, joining the Canucks in time for their Stanley Cup run that season. At the time of the trade, Hedican said: "I have nothing bad to say about St. Louis. They gave me some ice time. I'm sad to leave, but Vancouver wants me."


Vancouver Canucks and first Stanley Cup run

Hedican joined the Canucks for their Stanley Cup run and recorded the teams' first goal in Game 1 of the
Stanley Cup Finals The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...
on May 31, 1994. After finishing the 1996–97 season with six goals and 23 assists in 77 games, Hedican signed a two-year contract worth just under $2 million to remain with the Canucks on October 10, 1997. In the first year of his contract, he led the league in short-handed assists with seven.


Florida Panthers

Although Hedican established himself in the Canucks blueline after five seasons he was traded to the
Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home game ...
with
Pavel Bure Pavel Vladimirovich Bure (russian: Па́вел Влади́мирович Буре́, ; born March 31, 1971) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player who played the right wing position. Nicknamed "the Russian Rocket" for his speed, B ...
,
Brad Ference Bradley William Ference (born April 2, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 250 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Born in Calgary, Alberta, Ference played junior hockey with the Spokane ...
and Vancouver's third round choice (Robert Fried) in the
2000 NHL Entry Draft The 2000 NHL Entry Draft was the 38th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24 and 25, 2000 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, following the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft on June 23 for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. Thi ...
for
Ed Jovanovski Edward Jovanovski (born June 26, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was born in Windsor, Ontario, and is of Macedonian descent. Jovanovski played major junior ice hockey for two seasons with the Windsor Spitfi ...
,
Dave Gagner David Rene Gagner (born December 11, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current Director of Player Development for the Orr Hockey Group player agency. Playing career Dave Gagner spent two full seasons with the OHL's B ...
, Mike Brown,
Kevin Weekes Kevin Weekes (born April 4, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 348 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is now a studio analyst for NHL Networks' ''On the Fly'', '' NHL Tonight'', and ESPN's The P ...
and Florida's first round choice ( Nathan Smith) in the 2000 Entry Draft, on January 17, 1999. Hedican finished the season with the Panthers, recording three goals and 10 points in 25 games despite missing 16 games with an eye injury and torn groin muscle. He remained unsigned as the 1999–00 training camp approached but continued to engage in contract discussions. On November 4, 1999, Hedican was suspended three games for slashing during a game against the
Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member ...
and was docked $25,520.


Carolina Hurricanes and second Stanley Cup run

Hedican was traded by the Panthers with
Kevyn Adams Kevyn William Adams (born October 8, 1974) is an American former professional ice hockey center and current general manager of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. During his career, Adams played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus ...
and
Tomas Malec Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian surna ...
to the
Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...
for
Sandis Ozolinsh Sandis is a Latvian masculine given name which may refer to: *Sandis Buškevics (born 1977), Latvian basketball player *Sandis Ģirģens (born 1980), Latvian politician *Sandis Ozoliņš (born 1972), Latvian hockey player, formerly in the Nationa ...
and
Byron Ritchie Byron Ritchie (born April 24, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He was born in Burnaby, British Columbia, and grew up in North Delta, British Columbia. Ritchie saw action in a total of 332 games in the NHL and also pla ...
on January 16, 2002. He was reconnected with Team USA teammate
David Tanabe David Michael Tanabe (born July 19, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. Tanabe was drafted in the first round, 16th overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. After being forced into early retirem ...
whom he also trained with during the offseason. Hedican made his Hurricanes debut against the
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
the following day and scored his first goal with the team two days later against the
New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The club was founded as the Kans ...
. During the remainder of the 2002–03 season, Hedican said: "I just want to play in the playoffs I want to work my butt off and worry about my contract at the end of this whole thing." On June 30, 2002, he opted to sign a six-year contract to remain with the team instead of becoming a free agent. On February 6, 2005, Hedican was named to Team USA's roster for the 2006 Winter Olympics as a replacement for injured defenseman Aaron Miller. During the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup run, Hedican was the team's nomination for the
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. It is named after Bill Masterton, the only player in NHL h ...
as someone who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey." After winning the Cup, it was revealed that Hedican tore the labrum in his right hip in Game 1 of the Cup finals. He played the remainder of the games with the aid of cortisone and pain-relief shots. His last few seasons in Carolina were riddled with injuries that severely limited his game play. On January 4, 2007,
Jim Rutherford James Earl Rutherford (born February 17, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and front office executive. He is the president of hockey operations of the Vancouver Canucks. Prior to his position with the Canucks, Rutherf ...
announced that Hedican would miss three to four weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left ring finger. At the time of his injury, Hedicam recorded eight assists in 37 games and led all Hurricanes defensemen in ice time. He was activated off Injured Reserve a month later on February 1 after missing 10 games. Overall, Hedican missed 32 games as a result of various ailments, including the final 16 with a hip injury. He debated retiring during the offseason but chose to return to the Hurricanes for the 2007–08 season. In late December, Hedican suffered a sprained right knee during a game 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 ...
and was placed on Injured Reserve. At the time of his injury, he had recorded two goals and seven assists.


Anaheim Ducks and retirement

For the 2008–09 season, his last season in the league, Hedican signed a one-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks. He played his 1000th career NHL game on November 21, 2008, against the St. Louis Blues. In February, Hedican began experiencing back spasms and was forced to miss numerous games. On September 16, 2009, Hedican announced his retirement after playing in 1,039 career regular-season games and recording 294 points. Although he retired, he announced that: "I'd pay eneral managerJimmy utherfordto let me sign for a dollar and put the jersey on again."


Post-retirement

Hedican joined
NBC Sports California NBC Sports California (sometimes abbreviated as NBCS California) is an American regional sports network owned by the NBC Sports Group unit of NBCUniversal, and operates as an affiliate of NBC Sports Regional Networks. The channel broadcasts regi ...
shortly after retiring, serving as a studio analyst for the channel's
San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertain ...
coverage. In the fall of 2014, he joined the Sharks Radio Network team, and either Baker or Hedican will provide color commentary alongside
Dan Rusanowsky Daniel Rusanowsky II (born December 31, 1960) is an American sports broadcaster, best known being for the radio play-by-play announcer for the San Jose Sharks since the team's inaugural season in 1991–92. His tenure with the team has earned ...
. He also called games with
Randy Hahn Randy Hahn (born October 21, 1958) is a play-by-play commentator for the San Jose Sharks on NBC Sports California, and has held that position for over 30 seasons. He has over 40 years of broadcast experience, mostly in hockey. He broadcast his 2,00 ...
and Jamie Baker on
NBCSN NBCSN was an American sports television channel owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It originally launched on July 1, 1995, as the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), which was dedicated to programming pri ...
and
NBC Sports California NBC Sports California (sometimes abbreviated as NBCS California) is an American regional sports network owned by the NBC Sports Group unit of NBCUniversal, and operates as an affiliate of NBC Sports Regional Networks. The channel broadcasts regi ...
before Baker retired. In 2014, Hedican partnered with another former Vancouver Canuck,
Paul Reinhart Paul Gerard Reinhart (born January 6, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He featured in the 1986 Stanley Cup F ...
, investing over $1 million in a sports team management start-up, RosterBot, based in Vancouver. The web-based software allowed users to set up a team, add player profiles, assign people to positions and share schedules by synchronizing them with calendars on other devices.


Personal life

Hedican has been married to figure-skater
Kristi Yamaguchi Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi (born July 12, 1971) is an American former figure skater. In ladies' singles, Yamaguchi is the 1992 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion (1991 and 1992), and the 1992 U.S. champion. In 1992, she became the firs ...
since 2000. They had met at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games when both were members of the US Olympic team. The couple have two daughters, Keara Kiyomi (2003) and Emma Yoshiko (2005).


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International


Awards and honours


See also

*
List of NHL players with 1000 games played The National Hockey League (NHL) is a major professional ice hockey league which operates in Canada and the United States. Since its inception in , 357 players have played at least 1,000 regular season games, varying in amounts between Patric ...


References


External links

*
AlwaysDream.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedican, Bret 1970 births Living people American men's ice hockey defensemen Anaheim Ducks players Carolina Hurricanes players Florida Panthers players Ice hockey players from Minnesota Ice hockey players at the 1992 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics Olympic ice hockey players of the United States People from North St. Paul, Minnesota Peoria Rivermen (IHL) players St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey players St. Louis Blues draft picks St. Louis Blues players San Jose Sharks announcers Stanley Cup champions Vancouver Canucks players