Bryan Berard

Bryan Berard (born Bryan Wallace Berard on March 5, 1977) is a former American professional ice hockey defenceman of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He was the first overall pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators.

Bryan is most noted for a debilitating eye injury he received early in his career. He underwent several operations and played 619 games in his NHL career.

Playing Career
Bryan was drafted first overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.

He would not play a game for the Senators after informing the club he would not report. The Senators traded him along with Martin Straka to the New York Islanders for Wade Redden and Damian Rhodes.

Bryan was a successful player on the Islanders and was rewarded for his efforts in 1997 by winning the Calder Trophy as the top rookie player in the NHL.

He also played for the United States in the 1998 Winter Olympics. After four years on Long Island, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bryan played the last two seasons in Columbus. Besides his Calder Trophy season with the Islanders, his best season was 2003–04 in which he was 13–34–47 in only 58 games with the Chicago Blackhawks.

In 619 career NHL games with the Islanders, Toronto, Rangers, Boston, Chicago and Columbus, Bryan has 76 goals and 247 assists for a total of 323 points. He is tied for 128th on the NHL all-time scoring list for defensemen.

On March 11, 2000, (while Bryan was playing for the Leafs in a game against the Senators in Ottawa), the stick of the Senators' Marian Hossa clipped Bryan in the right eye on a follow through, severely injuring it.

The eye was severely slashed on the sclera which resulted in a retinal tear and a detached retina. In the hospital room after the incident, after being told he might lose his eye, Bryan reportedly told his friends that he would play hockey again.

Despite being optimistic about his future in hockey, Bryan ended up receiving a $6.5 million settlement from his insurance company, what many considered to be a career-ending settlement.

During the next season, Bryan underwent seven eye operations, improving his vision in the eye to 20/600.

He started working out again in April of 2001 and started skating again months thereafter.

He was later fitted with a contact lens that allowed him to meet the league's minimum vision requirement of 20/400.

When it became apparent that he might play again, the Leafs stated they were interested in Bryan's services, but he opted to play for a team that was currently rebuilding and was a bit closer to his home of Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

Upon signing a tryout contract with the New York Rangers, Bryan returned his insurance settlement and risked a comeback to the NHL.

He played well enough that his tryout contract turned into a $2 million contract for the 2002–03 season, plus two one-year options.

However, Bryan was released by the Rangers after a disappointing season where he only scored 2 goals and 23 points despite playing in all 82 games for the Rangers.

Then, Bryan enjoyed successful one-year stints with both the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks before signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets before the 2005–06 season.

As a result of his perseverance, he was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for his dedication to hockey in 2004.

In early 2006, it was revealed that Bryan had tested positive for an anabolic steroid (known as 19-norandrosterone) in a drug test he had taken in November of 2005. He was the first NHL player to ever test positive for steroids.

The NHL did not hand down any form of suspension to Bryan as they did not administer the test, but he was banned from international play for two years effective January 3, 2006.

Bryan said after the incident, "I made a mistake that resulted in a suspension and, while unintentional, I take full responsibility. I became aware of this problem after the fact, and for that I am disappointed in myself."

Bryan accepted an invitation to attend training camp for the 2007–08 season with the New York Islanders.

He performed well enough to earn a one-year contract with the Islanders at the conclusion of training camp.

In his first game back with the first NHL team he ever played for, Bryan scored the game-winning goal against another of his former teams, the rival New York Rangers in a 2–1 Islander victory.

Prior to the start of the 2008–09 NHL season, he was invited to training camp with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Bryan was not offered a contract despite tallying 2 assists in Philadelphia's final game in Wachovia Spectrum.

On November 16, 2008, he signed on with Vityaz Chekhov of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He scored 17 points in 25 games played.

Bryan retired after the 2008–09 season. He resides in Lincoln, Rhode Island. He appeared in 2011 on the CBC television program "Battle of the Blades."

Awards & Achievements

 * NHL All-Rookie Team (1997)
 * Calder Memorial Trophy (1997)
 * Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (2004)