Brad Park

Brad Park was a Canadian defenceman regarded as one of the best of his era, though he never won a Stanley Cup despite five second-place Norris Trophy finishes.

Douglas Bradford Park was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1948. New York Rangers selected him second overall in the 1966 NHL Draft — immediately behind Bobby Orr. He won the Norris Trophy runner-up seven times — always behind Orr or Denis Potvin. Despite never winning the award, he is widely regarded as one of the five greatest defencemen in NHL history. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 and named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. He was traded from the Rangers to the Boston Bruins in 1975 in one of the decade's landmark trades — alongside Jean Ratelle for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais. He continued playing at near-elite level after multiple serious knee surgeries that would have ended most careers. He finished with 213 goals and 683 assists from the blue line. His misfortune was to play the prime of his career simultaneously with the only two defencemen in history greater than him — Orr and Potvin.

Park was an offensive-minded defenseman who excelled at rushing the puck and quarterbacking the power play. He possessed excellent skating ability and hockey sense, allowing him to contribute significantly to his team's attack while maintaining solid defensive play. His ability to read the game and make crisp passes made him a complete two-way player.

Park helped redefine the modern defenseman position by demonstrating how blue-liners could be major offensive contributors while still playing sound defense.

• Hockey Hall of Fame (1988)
• NHL First/Second Team All-Star (7x)