Bryan Marchment

Lore & Background

Marchment was born in Scarborough, Ontario, on May 1, 1969. He played in the 1982 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Mississauga. He began his junior career by playing four seasons with the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 1985 to 1989. He was a high-scoring defenceman, more noted for assists, including 51 assists in 56 games during the 1987–88 season. He was selected in the first round (16th overall) by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1987 NHL entry draft. Marchment made his NHL debut for the Jets on March 29, 1989, against the Los Angeles Kings at Great Western Forum. He was traded multiple times throughout his career, including to the Chicago Blackhawks, Hartford Whalers, Edmonton Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Calgary Flames. He was known as a physical, hard-nosed defenseman and was suspended 13 times by the league in his first 12 NHL seasons. He died on July 6, 2022, in Montreal at the age of 53 from a massive stroke.

In Their Own Story

The arena hums with tension during the 1996 playoffs. Marchment skates down the wing, stickhandling through traffic near the neutral zone. He receives a pass near the blue line, fakes one way, and fires a wrist shot that beats the goalie top shelf. The crowd erupts as he raises his arms, embodying the team's resilience against long odds.

Reader's Guide

Marchment's NHL career spanned from 1989 to 2006. He played for nine teams: Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, Hartford Whalers, Edmonton Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Calgary Flames. He never played for the Florida Panthers. He was traded from the Sharks to Colorado on March 8, 2003. He was traded to Edmonton on August 30, 1994, as compensation for Hartford signing Steven Rice. He sat out the 2004–05 NHL lockout-affected season. After the 2005–06 season ended, he became a free agent. As of March 2008, Marchment was a scout and in charge of player development for the Sharks.

Did You Know?

• Marchment was suspended 13 times by the league in his first 12 NHL seasons.
• He suffered a severe concussion during the 1997 season and began convulsing on the rink.
• His hits were blamed for injuries suffered by Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk, Greg Adams, Mike Gartner, Kevin Dineen, Peter Zezel, Pavel Bure, Sami Salo, Magnus Arvedson, Paul Kariya, Wendel Clark, and Martin Ručinský.
• Marchment's niece, Kennedy Marchment, currently plays for Montreal of the Professional Women's Hockey League.