Andy Brickley

Lore & Background

Brickley played youth hockey in Melrose, Massachusetts, and was a dual-sport athlete in high school and college, excelling in baseball as well. He walked on to the University of New Hampshire hockey team and became a top player, leading the Wildcats to the NCAA Final Four in 1982. Drafted last overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1980, he was the second player to reach the NHL after being selected last. Brickley played for the Flyers, Penguins, Devils, and Bruins, often filling in at multiple forward positions. He took two pucks off his face during his career—one in Chicago costing him five teeth and 30 stitches, and another in Boston that deflected into the goal for a credited goal. Injuries, including a calcifying leg muscle and torn rotator cuffs, repeatedly sidelined him, but he remained resilient and became a fan favorite in Boston.

Reader's Guide

Brickley's career is notable for his perseverance as a late-round draft pick and walk-on who carved out a 13-year professional career. He played for four NHL teams, but his most memorable tenure was with the Bruins, where he scored a career-high 40 points in 43 games before injuries struck. Despite being placed on waivers multiple times and demoted to the minors, he repeatedly earned recalls through strong play, including a 25-point stint in 17 AHL games. After retiring, he transitioned to broadcasting, first doing radio color commentary for the Bruins on WBZ Radio in 1996, then moving to television as the color commentator on NESN. His story is often cited as an example of determination, as he described himself as 'the NHL's version of Mr. Irrelevant' who happily played 13 years. He continues to play in charity games for the Boston Bruins Alumni Hockey Team.

Did You Know?

• Brickley was drafted last overall in the 1980 NHL entry draft by the Philadelphia Flyers.
• He scored a hat trick against his former team, the New Jersey Devils, on November 18, 1989.
• A Ray Bourque slapshot bounced off Brickley's face and into the goal, giving him credit for a goal on December 5, 1988.
• He won a shooting accuracy contest during a charity skills competition while recovering from a torn rotator cuff in 1992.

The Dual-Sport Athlete

Long before he ever laced up skates for a professional team, Andrew Brickley was already proving himself a rare multi-sport talent. As a teenager in Melrose, Massachusetts, he represented his community in the 1974 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament and earned Middlesex League All-Star honors. At Melrose High School, he captained the baseball squad and was named to the Division 1 North All-Star team. When both Trinity and Middlebury Colleges extended offers, Brickley turned them down in favor of the University of New Hampshire, where he earned a roster spot as a walk-on. Between 1979 and 1982, he accumulated 68 goals and 69 assists in 93 games, guided the Wildcats to the NCAA Final Four, and was named a first-team NCAA All-American. Remarkably, he earned that same All-American distinction in baseball during the same 1982 season. Even after his NHL career began, Brickley continued playing semi-professional summer baseball for Augustine A's, helping them capture five championships in seven years, and later for the Melrose Rams in 1986.

The Last Pick Who Refused to Stay There

The 1980 NHL Entry Draft saw the Philadelphia Flyers select Andrew Brickley with the very last pick available, a decision that many assumed would signal a brief or nonexistent professional career. Brickley proved otherwise, becoming only the second player in league history after Gerry Meehan to reach the NHL after being drafted last overall. He made his debut during the 1982–83 season before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in October 1983 as part of a multi-player deal involving Rich Sutter. Over two seasons in Pittsburgh, he logged 95 games and recorded 25 goals and 35 assists, though a curfew violation in Montreal briefly cost him a stint with the AHL's Baltimore Skipjacks. The New Jersey Devils acquired him in 1985, initially parking him with the Maine Mariners, where he posted 26 goals and 34 assists in 60 games. After two seasons with the Devils totaling 96 games, he was left unprotected in the 1988 waiver draft. The Devils even demoted him to the Utica Devils in what appeared to be an attempt to shield him from other teams, but the Boston Bruins ultimately claimed him.

A Career Forged in Injuries and Comebacks

Brickley's time with the Boston Bruins was defined by an extraordinary cycle of brilliance and physical punishment. In December 1988, a Ray Bourque slapshot struck him in the face and bounced into the net, giving him a goal and five stitches. The following season, he delivered his first career hat trick against his former team, the New Jersey Devils, declaring that scoring against them was 'that much sweeter.' Yet just days later, a leg injury left him barely able to walk. A pulled thigh muscle in January compounded the damage, and at 43 games into the season, already holding a career-high 40 points, doctors diagnosed myositis ossificans, a condition in which muscle tissue calcifies. Despite the severity, he still appeared briefly in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Surgery followed in July 1990, and by December he was waived again, only to explode for 25 points in 17 games with the Maine Mariners before a brief recall. In 1991–92, a torn rotator cuff against Hartford kept him out until February, yet he still won the shooting accuracy contest in a charity skills event before returning to the lineup.

From the Rink to the Broadcast Booth

Fourteen seasons across the NHL, AHL, and IHL eventually gave way to a second act that keeps Brickley connected to the game he loves. Today, he serves as the color commentator for the Boston Bruins on the New England Sports Network, a role that places him in the booth for the very franchise that picked him up on waivers in 1988 and became the defining chapter of his playing career. His journey from a walk-on at the University of New Hampshire, to the last overall draft pick, to a journeyman who bounced between Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Boston, gives him a perspective that resonates with fans who appreciate the grit behind the glamour. His dual-sport background, NCAA All-American honors in both hockey and baseball, plus years of semi-professional summer ball, adds a layer of versatility that few broadcasters can claim. For Bruins fans, hearing Brickley's voice on NESN is a reminder that the organization's history extends well beyond its star players, encompassing the resilient, multi-position players who filled every role a coach asked of them.

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