Brad May

Lore & Background

May was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, 14th overall, in the 1990 NHL entry draft. In Game 4 of the opening round of the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins, the teams were tied at 5 and required overtime. May took a pass from a falling Pat LaFontaine at center ice, deked past Ray Bourque, then went on goal where he faked out Andy Moog, which caused him to fall and leave an open space for May to score on a wrist shot. The goal secured a 4-1 series win for Buffalo. The goal is referred to informally as the 'Mayday goal', thanks to the following call from Sabres voice Rick Jeanneret: 'Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!'

Reader's Guide

May was later traded by the Sabres to the Vancouver Canucks for forward Geoff Sanderson on February 5, 1998. After sitting out during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, May signed with the Colorado Avalanche as an unrestricted free agent for two years on August 20, 2005. He was later traded on February 27, 2007, to the Anaheim Ducks for goaltender Michael Wall. The Ducks went on to win the Stanley Cup that year.

On July 4, 2007, May re-signed as a free agent with Anaheim for another two years. During the 2008–09 season on January 7, 2009, May was traded from the Ducks to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a conditional 6th round draft pick in 2010. On April 8, 2009, May played in his 1,000th career NHL game against the Buffalo Sabres. On September 23, 2009, May was invited to try out for the Detroit Red Wings.

At the start of the 2009–10 season on October 8, 2009, May then signed a one-year contract with the Red Wings. After posting 2 assists in 40 games with Red Wings May was put on waiver on February 12, 2010. After clearing waivers he reported to the Grand Rapids Griffins. On September 20, 2010, May effectively announced his retirement in accepting a position as a CBC American Hockey League analyst.

Following the retirement of longtime Buffalo Sabres analyst Mike Robitaille after the 2013-14 season, May joined the Sabres broadcast crew on a limited basis before moving into Robitaille's slot in a full-time role for the NHL 2014-15 season. May was replaced on Sabres broadcasts by Martin Biron following the 2016-2017 season. Beginning with the 2017-2018 season, May served as an analyst for the Vegas Golden Knights with AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.

In 2024, May competed on the tenth season of The Amazing Race Canada with his daughter Sam, where they finished 8th out of 11 teams.

Did You Know?

• May was suspended for 20 games in 2000 for slashing Steve Heinze, the fourth longest suspension for an on-ice incident in NHL history at the time.
• May was suspended for three games in the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs for punching Kim Johnsson.
• May played his 900th career NHL game on November 21, 2007, and scored his 125th career goal in a 4-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks.