Tell me about Brad Park

[Randall Graves*]

In an effort to learn more about the history of the game I would like to know more about Brad Park. It seems he is one of the best defensemen ever but was overshadowed by Orr.

So give me his scouting report, and a player who is like him today, any hi lites or game tape links would be great too

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[andreydali19]

Well, besides being on the Rangers during the 70s, all I know is that he was one of the most contributing defenseman for Team Canada during the '72 Summit Series.

 

[Kirk- NEHJ]

In an effort to learn more about the history of the game I would like to know more about Brad Park. It seems he is one of the best defensemen ever but was overshadowed by Orr.

So give me his scouting report, and a player who is like him today, any hi lites or game tape links would be great too

Yes, he was second-fiddle to Orr, but really had some great years.

He was a fluid, effortless skater who played excellent D and brought the offense. Had a blistering cannon from the point that he got off quickly and accurately through traffic. The OT goal he scored in Game 7 of the Adams Division final series in 1983 vs. the Buffalo Sabres remains my most vivid Park moment (I was 11 at the time), even though he had been on the club from the entire time of my life as a young B's fan until he moved on to Detroit that summer.

People forget that while it was for just a very short time, the Bruins actually iced the Park-Orr PP point combo shortly before Orr signed with the Blackhawks.

Park was one of those guys who could log a ton of minutes and play in every situation. He missed a lot of time over the years to injuries, but played hurt a lot, too. Oh, and he was a nasty son of a gun- could really throw 'em when he wanted to. Ended up giving up the fisticuffs later in his career, but certainly forged his reputation as a hard-as-nails player early on the hard way.


Hope this helps. Can't really comment on his time with the Rangers, as I was only 3 when he was traded to Boston.

 

[Lowetide]

The thing I remember is his first pass. Very patient, great vision and sent beauty passes tape to tape to a forward in motion.

Exceptional at making a pass.

 

[Trottier]

Superb player.

Possessed one mean hipcheck, a thing of beauty.

Truly had a very long and prolific career.

Minutia:

Wrote a book "Play the Man" while with NYR, circa 1972.

Squared off with Bobby Orr in the '72 Finals, the two best dmen in the game at the time fighting at center ice.

Married his cousin. (I kid you not; one recalls the weirdest things from their earliest years. )

Had a very brief, ill-fated run behind the Wings bench at the end of his playing career, in the mid-80s.

 

[dcav]

He was a great stickhandler. One of my best memories of him was when he had to stop to receive a pass and a defender attacked and tried to strip the puck from him. While standing still, the oposing player couldn't strip the puck from Park. The Bruins announcer, Fred Cusick, used to comment that Park could stickhandle in a phone booth. Just another part of the great game he played.
I hated the trade when the Bruins made it, and loved it once I got to see Park and Ratelle play every game.

 

[Rookie Chargers]

Superb player.

Possessed one mean hipcheck, a thing of beauty.

Truly had a very long and prolific career.

Minutia:

Wrote a book "Play the Man" while with NYR, circa 1972.

Squared off with Bobby Orr in the '72 Finals, the two best dmen in the game at the time fighting at center ice.

Married his cousin. (I kid you not; one recalls the weirdest things from their earliest years. )

Had a very brief, ill-fated run behind the Wings bench at the end of his playing career, in the mid-80s.

When I think of him I say he had a little of Kasparaitis in him. Or am I confusing him with Sather, Harris, Irvine or Byers so what if it was a while ago. Loved when the Bruins got him and loved even more his battles with Orr.

 

[raleh]

Obviously we've already discussed that he's the best defenceman to never win a norris. But can anyone think of a better player to never win a cup?

 

[brianscot]

The thing that I remember about Park during his Boston years is that eventually he had no knees whatsoever and yet remained an effective point producer and defender.

On the powerplay, he would do subtle little fakes that defenders would over react to and then Brad would skate with non-knees right around them.

Best player to never win a cup? Perhaps. But Jean Ratelle and Norm Ullman never were in the right place at the right time either.

 

[#66]

The things that stood out to me about Brad Park were his pin point passing, his play on the PP and that he was a pretty good middle weight. I rank him with Paul Coffey and Sergei Zubov as one of the best long passers that I can remember. He might have been the best "head man" passer I've ever seen and great at making a defensive play and starting the offense up ice.

He's also is one of the smarter players I've seen and IMO thats what made him an elite. He was great at luring players to him and then hitting the open man. His sense was also the reason why he could adapt so well when parts of his phyical game broke down.

 

[Big Phil]

Hands down the best defenseman to never win a Norris. He was a first team all-star five times. And after Dionne might be the best player to never win a Cup. He had some close calls. Was in the '72, '77 and '78 Cup finals. And was on the ice when the Habs eliminated them in OT in '79. Park was a great defenseman bar none. It isnt crazy to rank him as a top 10 defenseman either.

 

[nmbr_24]

The thing I remember most about Park was his hipcheck, if not the best, definately one of the best hipcheckers of all time.

 

[jiggs 10]

Park was a great defenseman, if a little cocky in his Ranger days. He seemed to hate that Orr was considered better. But by the time he was traded to the Bruins, he had overcome that and became such a consistant player that it was ridiculous. He had more patience with the puck than anyone I've seen (I've heard the same thing about Doug Harvey, but never saw him play), even when he couldn't skate anymore. Just a smart, tough, great defenseman. Even in his last season, when he was basically rooted to the ice, he got 43 points in about 65 games for a horrible Red Wings team. I'd say he is one of the top 10 ever on defense, and was just unfortunate to play at the same time as Orr, Potvin, and Robinson because he certainly SHOULD have won a Norris Trophy in his career.