Brian Spencer

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CanadaCanada  Brian Spencer Ice hockey player
Date of birth September 3, 1949
place of birth Fort St. James , British Columbia , Canada
date of death 3rd June 1988
Place of death Riviera Beach , Florida , USA
Nickname crackhead
size 180 cm
Weight 84 kg
position Left wing
Shot hand Left
Draft
NHL Amateur Draft 1969 , 5th round, 55th position
Toronto Maple Leafs
Career stations
1967-1968 Calgary Centennials
Regina Pats
1968-1969 Estevan Bruins
1969-1972 Toronto Maple Leafs
Tulsa Oilers
1972-1974 New York Islanders
1974-1977 Buffalo Sabers
1977-1979 Pittsburgh Penguins
1979-1980 Hershey Bears

Brian Roy "Spinner" Spencer (born September 3, 1949 in Fort St. James , British Columbia , † June 3, 1988 in Riviera Beach , Florida , USA ) was a Canadian ice hockey player who during his active career between 1969 and 1980 under has played 553 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs , New York Islanders , Buffalo Sabers and Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League (NHL) on the left winger position .

Career

Spencer spent his junior years between 1967 and 1969 with the Calgary Centennials , Regina Pats and Estevan Bruins in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). The winger was selected in the fifth round of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft in 55th place by the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). On December 12, 1970, the day he was first called up for an NHL game, he called his father, Roy Spencer, to tell him to tune into the television show Hockey Night in Canada that evening . He should give an interview in the third break. Instead, however, the game between the Vancouver Canucks and the California Golden Seals was broadcast. In a rage, Roy Spencer drove 135 kilometers to Prince George , where the nearest CBC station was. Once there, he ordered the employees at gunpoint to broadcast the game of the Maple Leafs instead. They complied with his request, but also alerted the police. When Spencer left the station, he was stopped by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and shot after a brief exchange of fire.

After several seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brian Spencer was transferred to the New York Islanders in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft . In 1975 he was taken over by the Buffalo Sabers in exchange for Doug Rombough . In the 1974/75 season Spencer had his best season in the jersey of the Sabers with twelve goals and 29 assists. Spencer played well in Buffalo and was extremely popular with fans at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium . His speed, robustness and his aggressive game were admired by the fans. Spencer grew to be a solid two-way player. In September 1977 it was given to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Ron Schock .

His offensive production decreased with the Penguins due to a move to a more defensive position. Spencer played his final NHL season in 1978/79 when he played seven games for Pittsburgh. He then ended his playing career in the American Hockey League (AHL) with stakes for the Binghamton Dusters , Springfield Indians and Hershey Bears , before he announced his retirement after the 1979/80 season .

death

After his career, Spencer became alcoholic and became increasingly violent. In 1987 he was charged with the kidnapping and murder of a prostitute and faced the death penalty . Family and friends, including former teammates, tried to help him. Rick Martin , a former Sabers teammate, testified as a character witness . The jury found Spencer innocent for lack of evidence in March 1988, and Spencer vowed to change his life. Despite his acquittal and moving to Florida , Spencer's life continued to spiral out of control. Just like his father, he was violently killed three months later: he was shot dead in a robbery after buying a crack in Riviera Beach , Florida. Spencer left five children from two marriages and his twin brother Byron.

A book about Brian's life, Gross Misconduct: The Life of Spinner Spencer , written by Martin O'Malley , became a film made for Canadian television in 1993 by Paul Gross and directed by Atom Egoyan , called Gross Misconduct: The Life of Brian Spencer made a film.

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
season team league Sp T V Pt SM Sp T V Pt SM
1967/68 Calgary Centennials WCHL 34 13 10 23 27 - - - - -
1967/68 Regina Pats WCHL 23 1 2 3 12 - - - - -
1968/69 Estevan Bruins WCHL 53 19th 29 48 120 4th 3 1 3 14th
1969/70 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 9 0 0 0 12 - - - - -
1969/70 Tulsa Oilers CHL 66 13 19th 32 186 - - - - -
1970/71 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 50 9 15th 24 115 6th 0 1 1 17th
1970/71 Tulsa Oilers CHL 23 6th 8th 14th 103 - - - - -
1971/72 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 36 1 5 6th 65 - - - - -
1971/72 Tulsa Oilers CHL 20th 7th 7th 14th 115 6th 0 1 1 17th
1972/73 New York Islanders NHL 78 14th 24 38 90 - - - - -
1973/74 New York Islanders NHL 54 5 16 21st 65 - - - - -
1973/74 Buffalo Sabers NHL 13 3 2 5 4th - - - - -
1974/75 Buffalo Sabers NHL 73 12 29 41 77 16 0 4th 4th 8th
1975/76 Buffalo Sabers NHL 77 13 26th 39 70 9 1 0 1 4th
1976/77 Buffalo Sabers NHL 77 14th 15th 29 55 6th 0 0 0 0
1977/78 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 79 9 11 20th 81 - - - - -
1978/79 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 7th 0 0 0 0 - - - - -
1978/79 Binghamton Dusters AHL 39 5 9 14th 58 - - - - -
1979/80 Springfield Indians AHL 9 1 1 2 0 - - - - -
1979/80 Hershey Bears AHL 30th 0 4th 4th 23 - - - - -
WCHL overall 110 33 41 74 159 4th 3 1 4th 14th
CHL total 109 26th 34 60 404 - - - - -
AHL total 78 6th 14th 20th 81 - - - - -
NHL overall 553 80 143 223 634 37 1 5 6th 29

( Legend for player statistics: Sp or GP = games played; T or G = goals scored; V or A = assists scored ; Pkt or Pts = scorer points scored ; SM or PIM = penalty minutes received ; +/− = plus / minus balance; PP = overpaid goals scored ; SH = underpaid goals scored ; GW = winning goals scored; 1  play-downs / relegation )

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Spencer, Brian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Spencer, Brian Roy (full name); Spinner (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH September 3, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Fort St. James , British Columbia , Canada
DATE OF DEATH 3rd June 1988
Place of death Riviera Beach , Florida , USA