Douglas Bradford Park (born July 6, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A defenceman, Park played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. Considered to be one of the best defencemen of his era, he was named to an All-Star team seven times. The most productive years of Park's career were overshadowed by superstars Bobby Orr -- with whom he played for a brief time -- and Denis Potvin, so Park never won the Norris Trophy as the season's top defenceman. Park was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. In 2017, he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.
Early life
Born on July 6, 1948, to his dad Bob and his mother Betty, Park grew up in Scarborough, Ontario, with his 4 siblings Ron, Betty Anne, Lori and Shelley. His father was a Scottish immigrant who had served as a sergeant in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, then later became a youth hockey referee and coach. Growing up, Park and his dad would place the salt and pepper shakers on the kitchen table like chessmen in analyzing defensive play.
As a teenager, Park worked as a laborer at a golf course in the Thornhill district of Toronto.
Playing career
As a youth, Park played against older kids, leading to him developing into a strong player. In 1960, he played in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Scarbororough Lions, winning the tournament.
Park made an immediate impact for the Rangers after being called up from the Bisons, making his debut during the 1968-69 season. During a game on February 2, 1969 vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, Park had a record setting night when he became the first Rangers defenseman to get four assists in one game. At the time of the game he was only 20 years, 211 days old, which set a NHL record for youngest defenseman to get four assists in a game. Park finished the year with 3 goals and 23 assists in 54 appearances, and finished third in voting for the Calder Trophy. However, Park and the Rangers were defeated 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens.
Park began to show his full potential the following year, as he quickly rose as one of the top defensemen in the league. Appearing in 60 games, he scored 11 goals and 26 assists, leading to him playing in his first All-Star Game, while also being named to the NHL First All-Star Team. Park and the Rangers were then defeated by the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. Park would continue his strong play the following year in 1970-71, scoring 7 goals and 37 assists.
At the start of the 1971-72 season, Park was named an alternate captain. When the team's top scorer, Jean Ratelle, was lost for the season due to a broken ankle, Park picked up the slack, being nearly a point-per-game player with 73 points in 75 games. During the postseason, he led the Rangers past the defending Stanley Cup-champion Montreal Canadiens in the first round and the West Division champion Chicago Black Hawks in the semifinals of the playoffs. The Rangers advanced to the Stanley Cup finals, where they fell to the Boston Bruins in six games. Park finished a distant second to Orr in the Norris Trophy vote for a third consecutive season, and was named to the First All-Star Team for a second time. During the offseason, when the upstart World Hockey Association tried to lure Park away, he briefly became the league's highest-paid player when he signed a contract extension with the Rangers for $200,000 per season.
The following year in 1972-73 Park continued to be a star for the Rangers. Although he only appeared in 52 games due to an injured left knee, In the 1972 Summit Series, with Orr unable to play due to injury, Park emerged as a key contributor to Team Canada's series over the Soviets, being named Best Defenceman of the series.
The following year in 1973-74 Park would have his best statistical season, scoring 82 points (25 goals and 57 assists, both Rangers records for a defensemen at the time) in 78 games.
Park once again missed some time during the 1974-75 season with a strained left knee, The New York press and public had felt that Park, 27 at the time, was overweight, overpaid, and over the hill, as he was facing unfavorable comparisons to Denis Potvin. Park left the Rangers as their all-time leading scorer among defensemen with 95 goals, 283 assists, and 378 points. Despite his accomplishments, the Rangers have not retired Park's #2 jersey as of , a fact reflected on by New York media.
Boston Bruins
thumb|Park with the [[Boston Bruins in 1979]]
While Esposito and Vadnais were effective players for the Rangers, the team remained mired at the bottom of the division after the trade, and Rangers general manager Emile Francis was eventually fired. Contrary to expectations that the Rangers had gotten the better end of the trade, the struggling Bruins were instantly rejuvenated and soon again became one of the NHL's best teams, despite the departures of Esposito and Orr. even hitch-hiking a ride from two teenagers at 1 am after his car ran out of gas; Park later rewarded them with free tickets to the next Boston home game. Park's exceptional play made it easy for him to win over the fans.
Park finished out the 1975-76 season appearing in 56 total games (43 for the Bruins) scoring 18 goals and 41 points for 59 points. However, he missed the final 21 games of the regular season with torn cartilage in his left knee, an injury that required surgery. He did not return until the playoffs. Park and the Bruins made it all the way to the semifinals, but lost to the Flyers 4-1. He was once again named to the First All-Star Team, for a fourth time, and finished runner-up for the Norris for a fifth time.
From 1977 to 1979, Cherry's "Lunch Pail A.C." captured three division titles for the Bruins. The following year, Park had one of his finest seasons, appearing in all 80 games for the first time in his career, and scoring 79 points (22 goals, 57 assists). Park and the Bruins once again made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals but were again defeated by Montreal 4-2. Park was selected to the First All-Star team for a fifth and final time, and finished runner-up for the Norris for a sixth and final time as well. Following his return he averaged nearly a point a game with 7 goals and 32 assists. Starting in 1979-80 Park's Bruins career overlapped with the first four years of the emerging superstar defenseman Ray Bourque. That year, Park only appeared in 32 games due to bone spurs in his right knee, an injury that required surgery. That same year Park would also be awarded the Charlie Conacher Humanitarian Award for his work with the cerebral palsy association of Massachusetts.
Bruins coach Don Cherry had this to say about Park's time with the Bruins stating "Brad was unbelievable for the Bruins, "He played nearly 30 minutes a game. He was tough as nails and could body-check with the best." Also calling Park's point shot a "cannon." He won the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance that same year, having set a record for assists by a Red Wings' defenseman (53). He also played his 1,000th NHL game on December 23, 1983, during a game vs. Toronto. The next year, he served as Detroit's head coach before he was fired on June 3, 1986.
Park concluded his career with 213 goals and 896 points in 1,113 regular-season games, holding the second-highest assist total (683) among NHL defensemen at the time of his retirement.
Retirement and personal life
thumb|Park playing at the Legends Games for the 50th edition of the Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament in 2009
In 1971, during his playing days, Park released his first autobiography Play The Man alongside Stan Fischler. The book covers his 1970-1971 season with the Rangers.
In 1988, Park was elected in his first year of eligibility to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his hometown of Toronto.
Park was one of five plaintiffs along with Dave Forbes, Rick Middleton, Ulf Nilsson and Doug Smail in Forbes v. Eagleson, a class action lawsuit filed in 1995 on behalf of about 1,000 NHL players who were employed by NHL teams between 1972 and 1991 against Alan Eagleson, the league and its member clubs. The players alleged that the NHL and its teams violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act by colluding with Eagleson to enable him to embezzle from the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) and that the four-year statute of limitations in civil racketeering cases began when Eagleson was indicted in 1994. The lawsuit was dismissed on August 27, 1998, in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Thomas Newman O'Neill Jr. who ruled that the statute of limitations expired because it had begun in 1991 when the players were made aware of the allegations against Eagleson. O'Neill's decision was upheld in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on October 17, 2000.
In 2001, Park returned to the Rangers as a pro scout holding the position until 2004.
In 2010 Park would lace up his skates more time to play in the Boston Bruins Legends classic at Fenway Park.
In 2012, Park received the NHL Alumni Association's Man of the Year award for his work with former players. He also received the award a second time in 2025, as a member of the 1972 Team Canada that competed in the Summit Series.
Park's name was enshrined on the Canada walk of fame as a member of the 1972 Summit Series team in 2012.
Park has resided on the North Shore of Massachusetts and on Sebago Lake in Maine for 50 years, with his wife Gerry. He has five children and eight grandchildren. His autobiography, Straight Shooter: The Brad Park Story, was published in August 2012. The book is a full insight of Park's life and career while also having additional interviews with players, family members, and key figures from the hockey world.
In 2022, Park was inducted into the Ontario sports Hall of Fame.
In 2024, Park was honored by the sports museum tradition event at the TD Garden, and was given the hockey legacy award.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! colspan="5"|Regular season
! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! colspan="5"|Playoffs
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season
! Team
! League
! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM
! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM
|-
| 1965–66
| Toronto Marlboros
| OHA
| 33 || 0 || 14 || 14 || 48
| 14 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 38
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1966–67
| Toronto Marlboros
| OHA
| 28 || 4 || 15 || 19 || 73
| 8 || 4 || 3 || 7 || 17
|-
| 1967–68
| Toronto Marlboros
| OHA
| 51 || 10 || 33 || 43 || 120
| 5 || 0 || 6 || 6 || 37
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1968–69
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 54 || 3 || 23 || 26 || 70
| 4 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 7
|-
| 1968–69
| Buffalo Bisons
| AHL
| 17 || 2 || 12 || 14 || 49
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1969–70
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 60 || 11 || 26 || 37 || 98
| 5 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 11
|-
| 1970–71
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 68 || 7 || 37 || 44 || 114
| 13 || 0 || 4 || 4 || 42
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1971–72
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 75 || 24 || 49 || 73 || 130
| 16 || 4 || 7 || 11 || 21
|-
| 1972–73
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 52 || 10 || 43 || 53 || 51
| 10 || 2 || 5 || 7 || 8
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1973–74
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 78 || 25 || 57 || 82 || 148
| 13 || 4 || 8 || 12 || 38
|-
| 1974–75
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 65 || 13 || 44 || 57 || 104
| 3 || 1 || 4 || 5 || 2
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1975–76
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 13 || 2 || 4 || 6 || 23
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| 1975–76
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 43 || 16 || 37 || 53 || 95
| 11 || 3 || 8 || 11 || 14
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1976–77
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 77 || 12 || 55 || 67 || 67
| 14 || 2 || 10 || 12 || 4
|-
| 1977–78
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 80 || 22 || 57 || 79 || 79
| 15 || 9 || 11 || 20 || 14
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1978–79
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 40 || 7 || 32 || 39 || 10
| 11 || 1 || 4 || 5 || 8
|-
| 1979–80
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 32 || 5 || 16 || 21 || 27
| 10 || 3 || 6 || 9 || 4
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1980–81
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 78 || 14 || 52 || 66 || 111
| 3 || 1 || 3 || 4 || 11
|-
| 1981–82
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 75 || 14 || 42 || 56 || 82
| 11 || 1 || 4 || 5 || 4
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1982–83
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 76 || 10 || 26 || 36 || 82
| 16 || 3 || 9 || 12 || 18
|-
| 1983–84
| Detroit Red Wings
| NHL
| 80 || 5 || 53 || 58 || 85
| 3 || 0 || 3 || 3 || 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1984–85
| Detroit Red Wings
| NHL
| 67 || 13 || 30 || 43 || 53
| 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 11
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals
! 1,113 !! 213 !! 683 !! 896 !! 1,429
! 161 !! 35 !! 90 !! 125 !! 217
|}
International
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year
! Team
! Event
! rowspan="102" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM
|-
| 1972
| Canada
| SS
| 8 || 1 || 4 || 5 || 2
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4"| Senior totals
! 8 !! 1 !! 4 !! 5 !! 2
|}
Coaching statistics
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan=2|Team !! rowspan=2|Year !! colspan=6|Regular season !! colspan=1|Postseason
|-
! G !! W !! L !! T !! Pts !!Finish !! Result
|-
! Detroit Red Wings
| 1985–86
| 45 || 9 || 34 || 2 || 40
| 5th in Norris
| Missed playoffs
|}
Honours and achievements
- 1960 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament champion
- 1967 Memorial Cup champion
- OHA first All-Star team in 1968
- In January 2017, Park was part of the first group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history by the National Hockey League.
- Inducted into the Ontario sports Hall of Fame in 2022
- In 2023, was ranked number 53 in The Athletic’s list of the 100 greatest hockey players of all time
- Named one of the Top 100 Best Bruins Players of All Time
- Named to the Boston Bruins All-Centennial Team
See also
- List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame
- List of NHL players with 1,000 games played