| ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT | ||
 BRAD PARK: DURABLE DEFENSEMANby John Halligan The irony of his home address in suburban Boston—20 Stanley Road—is not lost on Brad Park, the Hall of Fame defenseman who played and coached nearly 20 seasons (18 to be exact) without ever winning a Stanley Cup. “I’ve thought about it, to be sure, but don’t tend to dwell on it,” says Park. “I had a lot of great years and a lot of great memories. I wouldn’t trade any of them, except for one.” That “one” would be the date of November 7, 1975, the day that Park and teammate Jean Ratelle were dealt from the New York Rangers in exchange for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais. “It was one of the few times in my life that I cried,” Park remembered. “It was such an emotional time, the end of an era really. I always thought I would finish my career in New York.” Park’s career with the Rangers covered seven and a half seasons (1968 to 1976) and 465 games. He was the Rangers’ captain, the team’s 15th, one of the team’s most popular and productive players and a three-time First Team All-Star selection. Two more First Team All-Star berths followed with the Bruins over the next seven and a half years before Brad’s career wound down for two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings in 1983-84 and 1984-85. Park captured the Masterton Trophy for “perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey” as a member of the Red Wings in 1984 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.
Despite never winning a Stanley Cup, Park did make three trips to the Cup Finals, with the Rangers in 1972, and with the Bruins in 1977 and 1978. And he fondly remembers the great Summit Series in which he starred for Team Canada in their historic victory over the Soviet Union. Park is hardly alone among great defensemen who never won a Stanley Cup. “Bill Gadsby played 20 years without one and Harry Howell played 21,” Park says. “But Harry got one as a scout with the Edmonton Oilers, so maybe there’s still hope for me. You never know.” Park currently serves as a professional scout with the Rangers. In eight seasons on Broadway, the Toronto, Ontario native tallied 95 goals and 283 assists for 378 points, along with 738 penalty minutes in 465 career matches. _________________ John Halligan currently serves as Director of Communications and Special Projects for the National Hockey League after spending 24 years with the New York Rangers as Public Relations Director, Business Manager and Vice President of Communications. |
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“Brad is certainly one of the greatest Rangers defensemen ever,” recalled long-time general manager and coach Emile Francis. “Believe me, he could do just about everything that Bobby Orr could do, but there is only one Bobby Orr, right?”
