Former NHL Star Mel Bridgman Dies at 70

Mel Bridgman, the former NHL forward drafted first overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975 and the inaugural general manager of the Ottawa Senators, died Saturday at age 70. The NHL Alumni Association announced his passing but did not disclose a cause of death.

Bridgman emerged as a prototypical power forward during his 14-year NHL career, known for his physical play, scoring touch and leadership. A native of Trenton, Ontario, he first gained attention in junior hockey with the Victoria Cougars of the Western Canada Hockey League. In his final junior season of 1974-75, he recorded 66 goals and 91 assists in 66 games, along with 175 penalty minutes.

Selected as the top pick in the 1975 NHL amateur draft, Bridgman joined the Flyers as a rookie during their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship run. He contributed 23 regular-season goals that year and added six more in the playoffs, though Philadelphia fell to Montreal in the Cup Final. Over parts of seven seasons with the Flyers through 1981, he appeared in 462 regular-season games and 74 playoff contests. Bridgman served as team captain from 1979 to 1981, including during the franchise's record 35-game unbeaten streak in...