Mel Bridgman, former Flyers captain and 1st Senators GM, dies at 70

Mel Bridgman, the rugged former NHL forward who was drafted first overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975 and was the Ottawa Senators’ first general manager, has died. He was 70.

The NHL Alumni Association announced Bridgman’s death Saturday. The statement didn’t give a cause of death.

“A prototypical power forward who exemplified Flyers style-hockey,” the Flyers said on social media.

A strong checker and dependable scorer and fighter, Bridgman first starred in junior for the Victoria Cougars in the Western Canada Hockey League. In 1974-75 in his last season for the Cougars, he had 66 goals, 91 assists and 175 penalty minutes in 66 regular-season games.

He went straight to Philadelphia — coming off its second straight title — as a rookie and had 23 regular-season goals and six more in a postseason run that ended with a loss to Montreal in the Stanley Cup Final.

Bridgman was Philadelphia’s captain during its record 35-game unbeaten run in 1979-80 in another season that ended with a loss in the Cup Final, this time to the New York Islanders, and also wore the “C” for New Jersey. He was traded from Philadelphia to Calgary early in the 1981-82 season and went on to have career highs with 33 goals and 54 assists.

Known for his thick mustache, Bridgman also played for Detroit and Vancouver, finishing his 14-year NHL career with 252 goals, 449 assists and 1,625 penalty minutes in 977 regular-season games. In 125 playoff games, he had 28 goals and 39 assists.

After earning an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Bridgman took over the expansion Senators in 1991 at age 36. He was general manager through their inaugural season of 1992-93 and later worked as a player agent.

“The Ottawa Senators organization sends its deepest sympathies to Mel’s loved ones at this difficult time,” the Senators said on social media.