Bryan Bickell
Canadian forward who won two Stanley Cups with Chicago.
Bryan Bickell is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent most of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks and later played for the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL. He was part of Chicago’s Stanley Cup wins in 2013 and 2015, and also appeared in four early playoff games during the team’s championship run in 2010. After nearly a decade with the Blackhawks organization, he was traded to the Hurricanes before the 2016–17 season. Later that year, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and retired at the end of the season.
Bickell was born to Bill and Anne Bickell and grew up in Orono, Ontario, with an older sister, Ashley. As a kid, he played baseball as an outfielder and pitcher for the Kendal Royals, where the New York Yankees scouted him. He chose hockey instead and moved to Ottawa to play for the Ottawa 67’s. Before becoming a full-time hockey player, he worked construction and as a clubhouse assistant for the Ottawa Senators, doing laundry and custodial work. There he met future Blackhawks teammates Antoine Vermette and Marián Hossa, who were playing for the Senators at the time.
Bickell started in minor hockey with the Orono Leafs, then played AAA for the Central Ontario Wolves. He took part in the 2000 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Red Wings. For his Bantam season, he joined the Toronto Red Wings of the GTHL for one year. The Ottawa 67’s drafted him in the second round, 36th overall, in the 2002 OHL Priority Selection. On that Red Wings team, he played with future Blackhawk Dave Bolland, and they won the Bantam All-Ontario championship.
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Bickell in the second round, 41st overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year entry-level contract on June 5, 2006, and left the OHL to play for the Norfolk Admirals in the AHL during the 2006–07 season. He made his NHL debut on April 5, 2007, scoring his first goal against Detroit’s Chris Osgood. He played the last two games of that season, adding another goal against Dallas’s Marty Turco in a 3–2 loss on April 8. That year, he also put up 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 48 games with the Admirals.
In 2007–08, Bickell played four NHL games without a point and spent 73 games with the Rockford IceHogs, recording 19 goals and 20 assists for 39 points.
- Born
- March 9, 1986
- Birthplace
- Orono, Ontario
- Nhl debut
- April 5, 2007
- First nhl goal
- April 5, 2007 against Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings
- Stanley cup championships
- 2013, 2015 (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Nhl draft
- 2004, second round (41st overall) by Chicago Blackhawks
- Career high goals
- 17 (2010–11 season)
Lore & Background
Bickell was born to Bill and Anne Bickell and raised in Orono, Ontario with an older sister, Ashley. He played minor hockey with the Orono Leafs program and AAA for the Central Ontario Wolves, and participated in the 2000 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Red Wings. He was drafted in the second round (36th overall) in the 2002 OHL Priority Selection by the Ottawa 67's. Before becoming a full-time hockey player, Bickell worked as a construction worker and as a clubhouse assistant to the Ottawa Senators, where he cleaned laundry and performed custodian duties, meeting future Chicago Blackhawk teammates Antoine Vermette and Marián Hossa.
Bickell made his NHL debut on April 5, 2007, scoring his first goal against Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings. He played in four postseason games during the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup run, recording one assist. In the 2013 playoffs, he scored nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in 23 games, including the game-tying goal in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins. He was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes before the 2016–17 season and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis later that year, retiring at the end of the season.
Reader's Guide
Bryan Bickell's career is notable for his role in the Chicago Blackhawks' dynasty, contributing to three Stanley Cup championships (2010, 2013, 2015) though his name was not inscribed on the Cup in 2010. He had a breakout season in 2010–11 with a career-high 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points. His most memorable playoff performance came in 2013, when he scored nine goals and eight assists in 23 games, including the game-tying goal in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Bickell's career was cut short after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis during the 2016–17 season with the Carolina Hurricanes, leading to his retirement. He spent nearly 10 years in the Blackhawks organization before the trade to Carolina.
Did You Know?
- Bickell was scouted by the New York Yankees as a baseball outfielder and pitcher before choosing hockey.
- He worked as a clubhouse assistant for the Ottawa Senators, cleaning laundry and performing custodian duties.
- Bickell's first NHL goal was scored against Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings on April 5, 2007.
- He recorded the game-tying goal in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins.
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