Brian Campbell was a sixth round pick (156th-overall) in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. It was the first draft class for new GM Darcy Regier and in a hockey world that featured a tougher brand of hockey during the mid-latter 90's, drafting the smaller, but extremely agile, offensive-minded defenseman in Campbell couldn't hurt that late in the draft.
Campbell hit the pro ranks after a stellar career with the Ottawa 67's where he scored 38 goals and 210 points in 260 OHL games. He would spend the next three years bouncing between the Rochester Americans and Buffalo Sabres. In 177 games for the Amerks he had 84 points (11+73) before finally sticking in the NHL full time beginning in 2002-03.
As Campbell got more ice-time, his production increased and when he came back from Finland, where he played during the 2004-05 lockout, he would have his two most productive years as a Sabre and be named to the All Star team in 2007.
Campbell was up for a new contract at the end of the 2007-08 season and there was plenty of angst in Buffalo all season. His play in the post-lockout, "new NHL" had set the market price pretty high on his new contract and Regier wasn't about to go that high. The Sabres, who were on an internal budget, opted not to re-sign him and he was traded to the San Jose' Sharks on February 27, 2008 for Steve Bernier and a 2008 first round pick that turned into Tyler Ennis (26th-overall.)
"Soupy," as he was affectionately known in Buffalo, held a very emotional press conference post-trade and headed to San Jose where his solid playoff performance couldn't get the Sharks past the second round.
Campbell hit the free agent market at the end of the 2007-08 season and was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks to an 8 yr./$57 million contract. The $7.1 million cap-hit was huge at the time considering the league salary cap for the following season only at $56.7 million.
Hawks' GM Dale Tallon made a huge gamble with the signing of Campbell but when added to a very young and talented core that featured Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp, the gamble would pay off two years later as Chicago would hoist the Cup for the first time in 49 years.
However, Campbell would spend only one more season in Chicago before he was traded to the Florida Panthers for Rostislav Olesz. Tallon had been nudged out of Chicago and was the new GM in Florida and one of his first moves was to bring in the talented, offensive-minded defenseman to get things moving. Campbell would spend five seasons in Florida scoring 175 (28+147) points in 376 games. The Panthers made the playoffs twice, in his first year and his last, never making it out of the first round.
At the end of last season, the final year of his original 8-year deal, Campbell hit free agency again and landed with the Blackhawks on a rather modest 1yr./$1.5 million deal.
Campbell finishes his 1,082 game NHL career with 87 goals, 417 assists, and a Stanley Cup ring. He'll be joining the Blackhawks in a front office capacity. He spent eight years in Buffalo with a number of memorable moments but this hit on Philadelphia's RJ Umberger during the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs is my No. 1 Soupy moment.
Join the Discussion:
»