Brad McCrimmon
A supremely intelligent defenseman whose +444 career rating speaks to his quiet excellence, culminating in a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames.
1959–2011 (age 52)·Canadian ice hockey player and coach·Birthday: March 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Brad McCrimmon played the game with a calculator in his head and granite in his demeanor. Never the flashiest player, 'The Beast' was a defenseman's defenseman, valued by teammates and coaches for his positional genius, fierce competitiveness, and an almost psychic ability to read the play. His 18-year NHL journey took him through six cities, but his peak came with the Calgary Flames, where he formed a legendary partnership with Al MacInnis on the blue line. In 1987-88, his intelligence was quantified, leading the league with a remarkable +48 rating. The following season, he was an essential, steadying force as the Flames captured their first and only Stanley Cup. After retiring as the player with the best career plus-minus statistic not in the Hall of Fame, he turned to coaching, respected for his sharp hockey mind. His life was tragically cut short in the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, a loss that resonated deeply across the hockey world, mourning a man known as much for his leadership and wit as for his flawless defensive play.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Brad was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brad Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Brad's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2011Died at 52
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
Key Achievements
- Won the Stanley Cup in 1989 as a top-pairing defenseman for the Calgary Flames.
- Led the entire NHL with a +48 plus-minus rating in the 1987-88 season, winning the NHL Plus-Minus Award.
- Was named a Second Team NHL All-Star in 1988 following his outstanding season with Calgary.
- Finished his playing career with a cumulative plus-minus of +444, one of the highest totals in league history.
Did You Know?
He served as team captain for both the Hartford Whalers and the Phoenix Coyotes.
He was posthumously inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
He was an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings under Mike Babcock when they won the Stanley Cup in 2008.
His nickname, 'The Beast', was given to him by a junior hockey coach for his intense style of play.
“The best defense is a good defense.”
