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Brian Campbell (born on May 23, 1979 in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL.

Playing Career[]

Campbell grew up playing minor hockey in his hometown of Strathroy, Ontario where he won an OMHA Championship at the novice level. He also played AAA hockey for the Elgin-Middlesex Major Bantam Chiefs (along with future NHL teammate Joe Thornton) in 1993–94, which was the organization's inaugural year.

In 1994–95, he signed with the Petrolia Jets Jr.B. (OHA) of the Western Ontario Hockey League (WOHL).

Following his season with the Jets, Campbell was drafted by the Ottawa 67's. Ironically, the 67's first-round pick that season was Nick Boynton, who would end up being a defence partner with Campbell for four seasons in Ottawa, then reuniting 15 years later as teammates with the 2010 Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks.

Campbell was taken by the Ottawa 67's in the OHL as a third-round draft pick in the 1995 OHL Priority Selection.

In 1998–99, he won the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL's Most Outstanding Player. He also won the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's Defenceman of the Year and the William Hanley Trophy as the OHL's Most Gentlemanly Player, as well as the CHL Player of the Year.

Buffalo Sabres[]

Campbell was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres as their sixth-round pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. He played his first game for the Sabres in the 1999–2000 season and stayed with the team, wearing number 51, until February 26, 2008, when he was traded to San Jose. During the NHL lockout in 2004–05, he played for Jokerit in the Finnish SM-liiga and won the silver medal in the league championships.

On January 9, 2007, Campbell was the leading vote-getter amongst Eastern Conference defenceman for the 2007 NHL All-Star Game, earning him his first All-Star appearance. As a result of the Sabres' rotating captaincy policy, he was named an alternate captain for the month of November 2007 and captain for the month of December. Campbell was then selected again to the 2008 NHL All-Star Game.

San Jose Sharks[]

The 2007–08 season was the final season that Campbell was under contract with Buffalo. On February 26, 2008, at the NHL trade deadline, the Sabres traded Campbell, along with their seventh-round draft pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft (194th overall; Drew Daniels), to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Steve Bernier and their 2008 first-round pick (26th overall; Tyler Ennis).

The Sharks were eventually eliminated in the Western Conference Semi-finals by the Dallas Stars and Campbell became a free agent at the conclusion of the season.

Campbell also led the NHL during the 2007–08 season in games played, being one of just two players to appear in 83 games (or one game more than a team's full schedule as based on his trade to San Jose); the other was Jeff Halpern.

On April 21, 2008, he was named a member of the NHL Competition Committee.

Chicago Blackhawks[]

On July 1, 2008, Campbell signed an eight-year contract as an unrestricted free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks for roughly $7.1 million annually. Fox Chicago reported that he chose to sign with the Blackhawks despite allegedly receiving better contract offers from other organizations.

He played in all of 82 of Chicago's regular-season games in the 2008–09 season, scoring seven goals to go with 45 assists. He contributed two goals with eight assists in 17 Stanley Cup playoff games that season as Chicago advanced to the Western Conference Finals where they were eliminated by the Detroit Red Wings.

On March 14, 2010, Campbell was injured in a boarding incident caused by Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for boarding while Campbell did not return to the game.

As a consequence of the illegal boarding hit, Overchkin was suspended two games by the NHL while Campbell sustained a broken clavicle and broken rib and was expected to miss seven to eight weeks.

Despite this, Campbell managed to return by Game 4 of the first round of the 2010 playoffs against the Nashville Predators, igniting the team to a three-game win streak to knock Nashville out of the playoffs, four games to two.

Campbell had played in 388 consecutive games prior to the injury. In the Finals, in Game 6, with the Blackhawks up three games to two in the series, he recorded the lone assist on Patrick Kane's overtime game-winner to down the Philadelphia Flyers and clinch the Stanley Cup on June 9, 2010.

Florida Panthers[]

During the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Campbell was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Rostislav Olesz.

During his first season in Florida, he had 49 assists to go with four goals for 53 points and only six penalty minutes, becoming the first defenceman since Red Kelly in the 1953–54 season to win the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.

Return to Chicago[]

On July 1, 2016, Campbell signed a one-year contract as an unrestricted free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks for roughly $2 million in base salary (with additional performance-related bonuses included).

Career Statistics[]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1993–94 Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs MHAO
1994–95 Petrolia Jets OHA-B 49 11 27 38 43
1995–96 Ottawa 67's OHL 66 5 22 27 23 4 0 1 1 2
1996–97 Ottawa 67's OHL 66 7 36 43 12 24 2 11 13 8
1997–98 Ottawa 67's OHL 66 14 39 53 31 13 1 14 15 0
1998–99 Ottawa 67's OHL 62 12 75 87 27 9 2 10 12 6
1998–99 Rochester Americans AHL 2 0 0 0 0
1999–00 Rochester Americans AHL 67 2 24 26 22 21 0 3 3 0
1999–00 Buffalo Sabres NHL 12 1 4 5 4
2000–01 Rochester Americans AHL 65 7 25 32 24 4 0 1 1 0
2000–01 Buffalo Sabres NHL 8 0 0 0 2
2001–02 Rochester Americans AHL 45 2 35 37 13
2001–02 Buffalo Sabres NHL 29 3 3 6 12
2002–03 Buffalo Sabres NHL 65 2 17 19 20
2003–04 Buffalo Sabres NHL 53 3 8 11 12
2004–05 Jokerit SM-l 44 12 13 25 12 12 3 4 7 6
2005–06 Buffalo Sabres NHL 79 12 32 44 16 18 0 6 6 12
2006–07 Buffalo Sabres NHL 82 6 42 48 35 16 3 4 7 14
2007–08 Buffalo Sabres NHL 63 5 38 43 12
2007–08 San Jose Sharks NHL 20 3 16 19 8 13 1 6 7 4
2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 82 7 45 52 22 17 2 8 10 0
2009–10 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 68 7 31 38 18 19 1 4 5 2
2010–11 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 65 5 22 27 6 7 1 2 3 6
2011–12 Florida Panthers NHL 82 4 49 53 6 7 1 4 5 2
2012–13 Florida Panthers NHL 48 8 19 27 12
2013–14 Florida Panthers NHL 82 7 30 37 20
2014–15 Florida Panthers NHL 82 3 24 27 22
2015-16 Florida Panthers NHL 82 6 25 31 26 6 0 1 1 0
2016–17 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 80 5 12 17 24 4 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 1,082 87 417 504 277 107 9 35 44 40

International Play[]

Campbell was a member of Team Canada at the 1999 World Junior Championships and was named a First Team All-Star for the tournament.

After completion of the Panthers' 2012–13 season, he extended his availability to make his long-awaited senior debut for Canada at the 2013 World Championships in Sweden and Finland.

Accolades[]

  • 1998–99: OHL First All-Star Team
  • 1999: George Parsons Trophy
  • 1999: William Hanley Trophy
  • 1999: Max Kaminsky Trophy
  • 1999: Red Tilson Trophy
  • 1999: CHL Player of the Year
  • 2009–10: Stanley Cup champion
  • 2011–12: Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

Personal Life[]

Campbell grew up in Strathroy, Ontario, where he attended elementary school at Colborne Street Public School and high school at Strathroy District Collegiate Institute. He also attended Canterbury High School in Ottawa while playing for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

Campbell's parents are Ed & Lorna and has two brothers, Craig & Darryl. Darryl played pro hockey for four seasons in the ECHL, lastly for the Mississippi Sea Wolves.

Campbell received national attention in Canada in 2003 in the context of the SARS outbreak; his sister-in-law, Vagia (who works at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital) visited him on March 24, 2003. Shortly after, she started showing SARS symptoms and was subsequently hospitalized which led to the quarantine of both Campbell and his then-teammate Rhett Warrener. He missed three games before being cleared to play again. Neither player had any SARS symptoms.

Campbell & his girlfriend, Lauren Miller got engaged during the 2011 NHL All-Star break and married in 2012. The couple has two daughters, Harper & Everley.

He has been given the nickname "Soupy" because he shares his surname with that of the Campbell Soup Company.

Gallery[]

Headshots[]

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