Braydon Coburn (born February 27, 1985) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
defenceman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...
. Coburn was originally selected in the first round, eighth overall, by the
Atlanta Thrashers in the
2003 NHL Entry Draft
The 2003 NHL Entry Draft was the 41st NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee on June 21 and 22, 2003.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. This wa ...
, beginning his NHL career with the organization before moving to the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...
,
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
,
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
and
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
. Coburn won the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
as a member of the Lightning in
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
.
Playing career
Coburn was born in
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, but grew up in
Shaunavon, Saskatchewan
Shaunavon (, ) is a town in southwest Saskatchewan. At the junction of Highways 37 and 13, it is 110 kilometres from Swift Current, 163 kilometres from the Alberta border, and 74 kilometres from the Montana border. Shaunavon was established ...
, where he played most of his minor hockey. After his Bantam season in 1999–2000, Coburn was selected first overall in the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...
(WHL) Bantam Draft by the
Portland Winter Hawks
The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon, playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL), one of three leagues making up the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Prior to the 2021-22 season, the Winterhawks split the ...
. The following season, Coburn played Midget AAA hockey for the
Notre Dame Hounds
The Notre Dame Hounds are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, Canada. They are members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). The Hounds also had a junior "B" team that played in the South Saskatchewan Junior ...
of the
Saskatchewan Midget Hockey League.
Coburn played
major junior hockey
Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...
with the WHL's Winter Hawks. He was awarded the
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy The Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy is presented annually to the Western Hockey League player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition. The award is named after Jim Piggott who was the founder of the Saskatoon Blades, as well as ...
as rookie of the year for the
2001–02 season, and although his points total dipped from 37 points to 19 the following year, he remained a top NHL prospect, subsequently being selected eighth overall in the
2003 NHL Entry Draft
The 2003 NHL Entry Draft was the 41st NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee on June 21 and 22, 2003.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. This wa ...
by the
Atlanta Thrashers.
After his draft, Coburn returned to the WHL for two more seasons and was eventually awarded with the
Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy
The Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy is an annual award given to the Western Hockey League humanitarian of the year. The winner is the player who best shows a commitment to his community and to humanitarian values. The award received its current ...
after the
2003–04 season as Humanitarian of the Year. On February 4, 2005, Coburn tied a WHL record for most goals by a defenceman in a game with four against the
Seattle Thunderbirds
The Seattle Thunderbirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in the city of Kent, Washington, south of Seattle. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League. They play their games at home in ac ...
in a 7–4 win. He completed his final year with the Winter Hawks in
2004–05 with a junior career-high 44 points.
During Coburn's time in the WHL, he also competed in two
World Junior Championships for
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, winning silver in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
and gold in
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
. He later played an unfortunate role in the outcome of the 2004 tournament — with the gold medal game between Canada and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
tied at 3–3 with less than five minutes left to play in regulation, Canadian goaltender
Marc-André Fleury
Marc-André Fleury (born November 28, 1984) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) List of first overall NHL draf ...
tried to clear the puck to avert a breakaway by the USA's
Patrick O'Sullivan
Patrick O'Sullivan (born February 1, 1985) is a Canadian-born American former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild and P ...
. However, Fleury's clearing attempt went off Coburn and into his own net, giving the Americans a 4–3 advantage that eventually won them both the game and the gold medal.
Professional
After several years in the Thrashers organization, during which Coburn split his time between the NHL and the Thrashers' minor league affiliate, the
Chicago Wolves
The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL), Coburn was traded on February 24, 2007 (the
NHL trade deadline
In professional sports within the United States and Canada, a trade is a sports league transaction between sports clubs involving the exchange of player rights from one team to another. Though player rights are the primary trading assets, draft p ...
) to the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...
in exchange for defenceman
Alexei Zhitnik
Oleksiy Mykolaiovych "Alexei" Zhitnik ( uk, Олексій Миколайович Житник, russian: Алексей Николаевич Житник; born October 10, 1972) is a Ukrainian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Zhitnik has ...
. The trade is often considered one of the more lopsided trades in recent NHL history, as Coburn went on to become one of the Flyers' top defenders while Zhitnik failed to meet expectations and was bought out one year later. The following season, in
2007–08, Coburn emerged with an 8-goal, 36-point season with Philadelphia. In the midst of the Flyers'
2008 Stanley Cup playoff run, Coburn was injured on May 11, 2008, two minutes into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
when a deflected puck hit him above the eye. The resulting gash required 50 stitches to be closed, and Coburn did not return for the rest of the series.
On July 1, 2010, Coburn signed a two-year contract extension with the Flyers. Philadelphia later extended Coburn on November 9, 2011, at a rate of $18 million over four years, a $4.5 million annual cap hit.
Approaching the
2014–15 trade deadline, with the Flyers on the outside of a
2015 playoff position, Coburn was traded to the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
in exchange for defenceman
Radko Gudas
Radko Gudas (born 5 June 1990) is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman for the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played in the NHL for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Ca ...
and a first- and third-round selection in
2015 NHL Entry Draft
The 2015 NHL Entry Draft was the 53rd NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 26–27, 2015, at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. The first three selections were Connor McDavid going to the Edmonton Oilers, Jack Eichel going to the Buffa ...
on March 2, 2015.
On February 26, 2016, Tampa Bay signed Coburn to a three-year, $11.1 million contract extension. On October 15, 2016, Coburn skated in his 700th career NHL game, a 3–2 Lightning win over the visiting
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
. On June 18, 2019, Tampa Bay extended Coburn’s contract for an additional 2 years at $3.4 million. Despite a reduced role, appearing in 40 regular season games for 4 points and 3 playoff games, he was a member of the
2019–20 team who won the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
.
With a year remaining on his contract, approaching the delayed
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
season and with the Lightning under salary cap constraints, Coburn was traded after six seasons in Tampa Bay along with
Cédric Paquette
Cédric Paquette (born August 13, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the HC Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Paquette was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fourth round, 101st overall, of the 2012 ...
and a
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
second-round pick to the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
in exchange for
Anders Nilsson and the contract of
Marián Gáborík
Marián Gáborík (; born 14 February 1982) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey right winger. He began his playing career in the Slovak Extraliga with Dukla Trenčín for two seasons before being drafted third overall in the 2000 NHL En ...
on December 27, 2020.
Coburn was traded from the Senators to the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
on April 11, 2021, for a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. On November 12, 2021, Coburn announced his retirement from the NHL.
Personal life
Coburn married fiancée Nadine in the summer of 2010, and the couple had their first child in October 2011.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
Records
*
WHL record for most goals in one game by a defenceman – 4
(on February 4, 2005, against the Seattle Thunderbirds
The Seattle Thunderbirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in the city of Kent, Washington, south of Seattle. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League. They play their games at home in ac ...
; tied with five other players)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coburn, Braydon
1985 births
Living people
Athol Murray College of Notre Dame alumni
Atlanta Thrashers draft picks
Atlanta Thrashers players
Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Chicago Wolves players
Ice hockey people from Alberta
Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
New York Islanders players
Ottawa Senators players
People from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan
Philadelphia Flyers players
Portland Winterhawks players
Sportspeople from Calgary
Stanley Cup champions
Tampa Bay Lightning players