Brian Engblom (born January 27, 1955) is an ice hockey broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning and NBC and retired Canadian professional hockey defenseman.
| Brian Engblom | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | January 27, 1955 (age 62) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Montreal Canadiens Washington Capitals | ||
| National team | Canada | ||
| NHL Draft | 22nd overall, 1975 Montreal Canadiens | ||
| WHA Draft | 22nd overall, 1974
Winnipeg Jets | ||
| Playing career | 1975–1987 | ||
Biography[]
Engblom was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and played for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was drafted 22nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1975 NHL Entry Draft. He played his first two professional seasons with Montreal's AHL affiliate Nova Scotia Voyageurs before playing in his first NHL game in the 1977 Stanley Cup playoffs with Montreal. He won three Stanley Cups, in 1977, 1978, and 1979 with the Canadiens. Engblom's name was left off the Cup in 1977, because he played no regular season games. He played in two playoff games, and did not play in the finals.
In 1982, while Engblom was establishing himself as a top NHL defenseman, he was involved in a blockbuster trade that saw him, Doug Jarvis, Rod Langway and Craig Laughlin dealt to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Rick Green and Ryan Walter. A season later, he was dealt with Ken Houston to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for future Hall Of Famer Larry Murphy. He finished his career with stints for the Buffalo Sabres, and Calgary Flames. Engblom's final NHL season of 1986–87 ended prematurely due to bone spurs in his spinal column that required major surgery to repair. In 11 seasons, Engblom scored 29 goals and 177 assists.
Broadcasting career[]
Engblom was the color commentator for ESPN2 from 1993–2004 and NHL on ABC alongside Dave Strader. During the 2005–06 season, he was color analyst for Columbus Blue Jackets games aired on Fox Sports Ohio. Currently, he works as a color analyst for the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sun Sports, and NHL telecasts for NBCSN. He also provides post-game analysis for the Colorado Avalanche on Altitude Sports and Entertainment, rotating with Mark Rycroft.
Engblom joins the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 2015-2016 season as color analyst alongside Rick Peckham. Engblom replaces "The Chief" Bobby Taylor, who moves to studio host.
Awards and honours[]
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-WCHA First Team | 1974–75 |
| AHCA West All-American | 1974–75 |
- MJHL Most Valuable Player (1973)
- AHL First All-Star Team (1977)
- Eddie Shore Award (AHL Most Outstanding Defenseman) (1977)
- Stanley Cup championships (1977, 1978, and 1979)
- NHL plus-minus leader (+63) (1981)
- NHL Second Team All-Star (1982)
- “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
Career statistics[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1972–73 | Winnipeg Monarchs | MJHL | 48 | 17 | 46 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Wisconsin Badgers | WCHA | 36 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Wisconsin Badgers | WCHA | 38 | 13 | 23 | 36 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | 73 | 4 | 34 | 38 | 79 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 26 | ||
| 1976–77 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | 80 | 8 | 42 | 50 | 89 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 10 | ||
| 1976–77 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1977–78 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 28 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1978–79 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 62 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 60 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 1979–80 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1980–81 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 3 | 25 | 28 | 96 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1981–82 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 76 | 4 | 29 | 33 | 76 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | ||
| 1982–83 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 73 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 59 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1983–84 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 74 | 2 | 27 | 29 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 79 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 70 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1985–86 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 49 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 30 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 32 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 659 | 29 | 177 | 206 | 599 | 48 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 43
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