Eric Brewer (ice hockey)

Personal life

Brewer was born in Vernon, British Columbia, to Anna and Frank Brewer, and grew up in Ashcroft, British Columbia, where he began playing hockey in the Ashcroft Minor Hockey program. At age fourteen, his family relocated to Kamloops, British Columbia, where he attended junior and senior high school and played for the Kamloops Bantam AAA Jardine Blazers of the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association. In 1995, he took part in the BCAHA Best Ever program for developing players for international competition.

As a youth, he admired NHL players Scott Niedermayer and Jeremy Roenick. Brewer married Rebecca Flann in mid-2004; they met while he played junior hockey with the Prince George Cougars and live in Vancouver, British Columbia, with their two daughters. His sister Kristi played for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women's ice hockey team. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Brewer participated in charity hockey games including the Ryan Smyth and Friends All-Star Charity Tour and the Brad May and Friends Hockey Challenge.

He has also taken part in charity golf tournaments such as the Burn Fund Golf Tournament and the Recchi-Doan Charity Classic. In 2014, Brewer became a part owner of the Prince George Cougars alongside fellow alumnus Dan Hamhuis. The Cougars annually present the Eric Brewer Award for Defenceman of the Year. He was inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in July 2022 as part of the 2020 induction class, after a delay due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Playing career

Brewer was selected by the Prince George Cougars in the sixth round, 81st overall, of the 1994 WHL bantam draft. In his second WHL season, he played for Team Orr in the 1997 CHL Top Prospects Game and doubled his point total to 29 in 71 games. During the playoffs, the Cougars, as the last seed in the West Division, upset the top-seeded Portland Winter Hawks and the Spokane Chiefs before falling to the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Conference final; Brewer had six points in 15 postseason games. His final WHL season saw him post 33 points in 34 games despite missing time due to injury, and he was named to the WHL West Second All-Star Team. He was the highest-ranked defenceman among North American skaters heading into the 1997 NHL entry draft, where the New York Islanders selected him fifth overall.

International play

Brewer first represented Canada at the 1995 World U-17 Hockey Challenge as a member of Team Pacific Canada. He served as an alternate captain for Canada at the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where the team finished eighth, its worst ever result, including a loss to Kazakhstan. NHL commitments with the New York Islanders prevented him from playing in the 1999 edition. He made his senior national team debut on April 24, 2001, at the 2001 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships in Germany.

Later that year, he attended the orientation camp for the 2002 Winter Olympics and was named to the final Canadian roster on December 12, 2001. In the Olympic tournament, he scored Canada's second goal in a 5–2 loss to Sweden in the opening game and netted the game-winner in a 7–1 semifinal victory over Belarus. He was named to the Canadian roster for the 2003 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, where he scored the overtime game-winning goal against Germany in the quarterfinals, and Canada went on to win the gold medal by defeating Sweden 3–2 in overtime.

He also participated in the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, his fourth straight, helping Canada win its second consecutive world championship with a 5–3 victory over Sweden in the gold medal game.

Transactions

Brewer was drafted fifth overall by the New York Islanders in the 1997 NHL entry draft. On June 24, 2000, the Islanders traded him along with Josh Green and a second-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers for Roman Hamrlík. On August 2, 2005, the Oilers sent him with Jeff Woywitka and Doug Lynch to the St. Louis Blues for Chris Pronger. On February 18, 2011, the Blues traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Brock Beukeboom and a third-round pick. On November 28, 2014, the Lightning dealt him to the Anaheim Ducks for a third-round selection. On March 2, 2015, the Ducks traded him and a fifth-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Korbinian Holzer.