Bradley Robert Maxwell (July 8, 1957 – September 3, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player renowned as a playmaking defenceman. He featured in the 1981 Stanley Cup Finals with the Minnesota North Stars.
| Brad Maxwell | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Maxwell on a 1979 sports card | |||
| Born |
July 8, 1957 Brandon, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Died |
September 3, 2023 (aged 66) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Minnesota North Stars Quebec Nordiques Toronto Maple Leafs Vancouver Canucks New York Rangers | ||
| National team |
 Canada | ||
| NHL draft |
7th overall, 1977 Minnesota North Stars | ||
| WHA draft |
12th overall, 1977 Birmingham Bulls | ||
| Playing career | 1977–1987 | ||
After having won the Memorial Cup in 1977 as a member of the New Westminster Bruins, Maxwell was selected seventh overall in the 1977 NHL amateur draft by the Minnesota North Stars. He stayed with the North Stars throughout the early 1980s, recording 73 points in 78 games in his best season with the club in 1983–84. At the end of his career he bounced around between teams, spending short amounts of time with the Quebec Nordiques, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers, and ultimately retired in 1987.
According to Maxwell, his final trade, from the Rangers back to the North Stars, came about after Rangers general manager Phil Esposito lost a card game to North Stars general manager Lou Nanne.[1]
Post-playing career
editAfter retiring from hockey, Maxwell started his own business in Minnesota, Brad Maxwell Cabinets & Construction.[1] Maxwell also organized and played with members of the North Stars alumni for charity games,[2] and organized the North Stars alumni contingent for the 2016 NHL Stadium Series, which featured the Minnesota Wild hosting the Chicago Blackhawks, preceded by Blackhawks alumni facing a team comprising North Stars and Wild alumni.[3]
Maxwell died of lung cancer on September 3, 2023, at the age of 66.[4]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1973–74 | Bellingham Blazers | BCJHL | 61 | 20 | 37 | 57 | 132 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | New Westminster Bruins | WCHL | 69 | 13 | 47 | 60 | 124 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 33 | ||
| 1975–76 | New Westminster Bruins | WCHL | 72 | 19 | 80 | 99 | 239 | 17 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 86 | ||
| 1976–77 | New Westminster Bruins | WCHL | 70 | 21 | 58 | 79 | 205 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 39 | ||
| 1977–78 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 75 | 18 | 29 | 47 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 70 | 9 | 28 | 37 | 145 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Oklahoma City Stars | CHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | — | — | — | �� | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 58 | 7 | 30 | 37 | 126 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 20 | ||
| 1980–81 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 27 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 98 | 18 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 35 | ||
| 1981–82 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 51 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 96 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 | ||
| 1982–83 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 77 | 11 | 28 | 39 | 157 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 23 | ||
| 1983–84 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 78 | 19 | 54 | 73 | 225 | 16 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 40 | ||
| 1984–85 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 18 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 50 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 119 | 18 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 35 | ||
| 1985–86 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 52 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 108 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 1986–87 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 30 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | New York Rangers | NHL | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 17 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 612 | 98 | 270 | 368 | 1292 | 79 | 12 | 49 | 61 | 178 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Canada | WC | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | |
| 1979 | Canada | WC | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| 1982 | Canada | WC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| Senior totals | 21 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 30 | |||
Awards
edit- WCHL Second All-Star Team – 1976, 1977
References
edit- ^ a b Kamchen, Richard (21 March 2013). "Backchecking: Brad Maxwell". The Hockey News. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ Blount, Rachel (18 April 2016). "Minnesota and the North Stars: a love lost but not forgotten". Star Tribune. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ Myers, Dan (18 February 2016). "Big weekend for North Stars, Wild alumni". NHL.com. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ Akailvi, Naasir. "Brad Maxwell, Minnesota North Stars legend, dies". KARE. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database