Brian Campbell

Lore & Background

Campbell grew up in Strathroy, Ontario, attending Colborne Street Public School and Strathroy District Collegiate Institute, as well as Canterbury High School in Ottawa while playing for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. He was drafted by the 67's as a third-round pick in the 1995 OHL Priority Selection. In 1998–99, he won the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL's Most Outstanding Player, the Max Kaminsky Trophy as Defenceman of the Year, the William Hanley Trophy as Most Gentlemanly Player, and the CHL Player of the Year award, and helped Ottawa win the Memorial Cup. His jersey was retired by the Ottawa 67's on November 3, 2017, making him the fifth player so honored by the club.

Campbell was traded from Buffalo to San Jose on February 26, 2008, along with a seventh-round draft pick, for Steve Bernier and a first-round pick. He became a free agent after that season and signed an eight-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 1, 2008. During the 2009–10 season, he suffered a broken clavicle and broken rib from a boarding hit by Alexander Ovechkin, missing 14 games and the first three playoff games, but returned for Game 4 of the first round and helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup. He later played for the Florida Panthers, winning the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2011–12, and returned to Chicago for one season in 2016–17 before retiring.

Reader's Guide

Brian Campbell's career is notable for his offensive contributions as a defenceman and his role on the 2010 Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks, where he recorded the lone assist on Patrick Kane's overtime game-winning goal in Game 6 of the Finals. He was a two-time NHL All-Star (2007, 2008) and led all Eastern Conference defencemen in fan voting for the 2007 game. Campbell won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2011–12 with the Florida Panthers, becoming the first defenceman since Red Kelly to do so. His durability was demonstrated by a streak of 388 consecutive games before a broken clavicle ended it in 2010. Off the ice, Campbell was quarantined in 2003 due to a potential SARS exposure after a relative who worked at a hospital visited him and later showed symptoms; he missed three games but never developed symptoms. His nickname 'Soupy' derives from sharing his surname with the Campbell Soup Company. After retiring in 2017, he joined the Blackhawks' business operations department, working in marketing, community relations, and youth hockey initiatives.

Did You Know?

• Campbell was quarantined in 2003 due to a potential SARS outbreak after a hospital-worker relative visited him and later showed symptoms; he missed three games but had no symptoms.
• He shares his surname with the Campbell Soup Company, earning him the nickname 'Soupy'.
• He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2011–12, becoming the first defenceman since Red Kelly to win the award.