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Bryan Wallace Berard (born March 5, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. Berard was the first overall pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. He is most noted for a debilitating eye injury he received early in his career. Berard underwent several operations, and played 619 games in his NHL career despite the seriousness of the injury.

Bryan Berard
Born	(1977-03-05) March 5, 1977 (age 45) Woonsocket, Rhode Island, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position	Defense
Shot	Left
Played for	New York Islanders Toronto Maple Leafs New York Rangers Boston Bruins Chicago Blackhawks Columbus Blue Jackets Vityaz Chekhov
National team	United States
NHL Draft	1st overall, 1995 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	1996–2009

Playing career

Berard was drafted first overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. As the first overall pick - and with the Senators blue line among the weaker in the league, Berard anticipated going straight to the National Hockey League. However, after his first training camp with the team, he was returned to junior hockey. Concerned about his development with the club, Berard requested a trade.[1] In January 1996, the Senators traded him in a three-team trade with the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs that saw his rights, along with those of Wade Redden, Martin Straka, Kirk Muller, Ken Belanger, Don Beaupre and Damian Rhodes move between the three teams.

Berard joined the Islanders for 1996–97 season and made an immediate impact. With 48 points in his rookie season, he led all defensemen on the team, and finished ninth league-wide in scoring. He was rewarded for his efforts in 1997 by winning the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the NHL, edging out Jarome Iginla. He also played for the United States in the 1998 Winter Olympics. After four years with the Islanders, he was traded to the Maple Leafs in exchange for goaltender Felix Potvin.

Berard put up 19 points in 38 games with the Maple Leafs, and played 17 more contests in the post season. In his second year with the club, he had 30 points in 64 games when on March 11, 2000, during a game between against the Senators in Ottawa, the stick of the Senators' Marian Hossa clipped Berard in the right eye on a follow through.[2] The eye was severely slashed on the sclera which resulted in a retinal tear and a detached retina. In the hospital after the incident, after being told he might lose his eye, Berard reportedly told his friends that he would play hockey again.^{[citation needed]} Despite that optimism, he received a $6.5 million settlement from his insurance company, what many considered to be a career-ending settlement.[3]

Berard missed the 2000–01 season and underwent seven eye operations, improving his vision in the eye to 20/600. He started working out again in April 2001 and started skating again months thereafter. Berard was later fitted with a contact lens that allowed him to meet the league's minimum vision requirement of 20/400.[3]

When it became apparent that he might play again, the Maple Leafs stated they were interested in his services,^{[citation needed]} but Berard 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, he 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 2001–02 season, plus two one-year options that could have turned it into a $9.75 million pact.[4] However, he 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.

Berard then inked a one-year deal to join the Boston Bruins. With Boston, Berard began to return to his pre-injury form posting ten goals and 38-points, his highest total since his second year in the league. Despite his success, the Bruins balked when an arbitrator awarded Berard a $2.51 million contract and they walked away from the ruling, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Chicago Blackhawks offered him a $2.01 million deal and signed him to a one-year contract. In Chicago, Berard's game continued to improve and he finished the year second on the team in scoring with 47-points, just one off his career best. He capped his year by being awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for his dedication to hockey.[5] With his career seemingly on the upswing, the Blackhawks and Berard agreed on a one-year $3 million contract for the 2004-05 campaign. Blackhawks general manager Bob Pulford was eager to have him back, saying "His point production was right up there with the best defensemen. He excels on the power play and that's a huge part of the game now. It was important for us to get him under contract." But the season was ultimately cancelled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, and with a new general manager replacing Pulford, Berard was not tendered an offer for the 2005–06 season.

As a free agent, Berard landed a two-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus GM Doug MacLean felt that Berard's skillset was a perfect fit for his club, saying "Bryan brings a level of speed to our blue line that we've never had in the past," adding, "With a more wide-open game coming in the NHL, Bryan should really flourish and we're excited about what he adds to our hockey team."[6] Unfortunately for Berard, while he had overcome the limitations of his vision to become a solid offensive defensemen, his time in Columbus would be marred by troubles with his back. His first season with the Blue Jackets saw him post impressive numbers with 12-goals and 32-points in just 44 games but a back injury - and subsequent surgery - shut him down in March. In October, when he should have been gearing up for his second year with the club, he had another surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back and managed to play just eleven games with the Jackets.[7] In late February, just before the trade deadline, the team waived Berard, ending his time in Columbus.[8]

Berard accepted an invitation to attend training camp for the 2007–08 season with the Islanders, and performed well enough to earn a one-year contract with them.[9] In his first game back with his original NHL team, Berard scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 Islander victory against another of his former teams, the Rangers. However, from there it was downhill and Berard managed just five-goals and 22-points while posting a -17 plus/minus rating.

Prior to the start of the 2008–09 NHL season, Berard was invited to training camp with the Philadelphia Flyers. He was not offered a contract despite tallying two assists in Philadelphia's final pre-season game. Berard signed on November 16, 2008, with Vityaz Chekhov of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He scored 17 points in 25 games played.

Berard retired after the 2008–09 season.

Post retirement

Berard lives in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. He appeared in 2011 on the Battle of the Blades, a CBC Television program.[10]

He was a victim along with many other NHL players of a scam run by financial advisor Phil Kenner.[11] Kenner was eventually sentenced to 17 years in jail for the scam.[12]

Positive drug test

In early 2006, it was revealed that he had tested positive for an anabolic steroid known as 19-norandrosterone, in a drug test he had taken in November 2005. He was the first NHL player ever to test positive for steroids. The NHL did not hand down any form of suspension to Berard, as they did not administer the test, but he was banned from international play for two years effective January 3, 2006. Berard 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."[13]

Awards & Honors

• NHL All-Rookie Team, 1997
• Calder Memorial Trophy, 1997
• Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, 2004
• Inducted into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame, 2018

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1991–92	Mount St. Charles Academy	HS-RI		15	3	15	18	4		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Mount St. Charles Academy	HS-RI		15	8	12	20	18		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Mount St. Charles Academy	HS-RI		15	11	26	37	4		4	3	3	6	6
1994–95	Detroit Junior Red Wings	OHL		58	20	55	75	97		21	4	20	24	38
1994–95	Detroit Junior Red Wings	MC		—	—	—	—	—		5	1	3	4	6
1995–96	Detroit Whalers	OHL		56	31	58	89	116		17	7	18	25	41
1996–97	New York Islanders	NHL		82	8	40	48	86		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	New York Islanders	NHL		75	14	32	46	59		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	New York Islanders	NHL		34	4	11	15	26		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		38	5	14	19	22		17	1	8	9	8
1999–2000	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		64	3	27	30	42		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	New York Rangers	NHL		82	2	21	23	60		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	10	28	38	64		3	1	0	1	2
2003–04	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		58	13	34	47	53		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		44	12	20	32	32		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		11	0	3	3	8		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	New York Islanders	NHL		54	5	17	22	48		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Vityaz Chekhov	KHL		25	3	14	17	103		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				619	76	247	323	500		20	2	8	10	10

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1995	United States	WJC		7	0	1	1	36
1996	United States	WJC		6	1	4	5	20
1997	United States	WC		1	1	0	1	0
1998	United States	OG		4	0	0	0	0
Junior totals				13	1	5	6	56
Senior totals				5	1	0	1	0

See also

• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

References

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Ed Jovanovski	NHL first overall draft pick 1995	Succeeded by Chris Phillips
Preceded by Radek Bonk	Ottawa Senators first round draft pick 1995	Succeeded by Chris Phillips
Preceded by Daniel Alfredsson	Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy 1997	Succeeded by Sergei Samsonov
Preceded by Steve Yzerman	Winner of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy 2004	Succeeded by Teemu Selanne

На других языках

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[de] Bryan Berard

Bryan Wallace Berard (* 5. März 1977 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island) ist ein ehemaliger US-amerikanischer Eishockeyspieler, der im Verlauf seiner aktiven Karriere zwischen 1994 und 2009 unter anderem 639 Spiele für die New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks und Columbus Blue Jackets in der National Hockey League auf der Position des Verteidigers bestritten hat. Berard, der im NHL Entry Draft 1995 als Gesamterster ausgewählt wurde, erhielt während seiner zehn Spielzeiten in der NHL im Jahr 1997 die Calder Memorial Trophy sowie im Jahr 2004 die Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

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- [en] Bryan Berard

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[ru] Берард, Брайан

Бра́йан Уо́ллес Бера́рд (англ. Bryan Wallace Berard; 5 марта 1977, Вунсокет, Род-Айленд, США) — американский хоккеист, защитник. Был выбран под 1-м номером на драфте 1995 года клубом НХЛ «Оттава Сенаторз». Известен тем, что во время одного из матчей получил серьёзную травму глаза.

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