Brian M. Eklund (born May 24, 1980) is an American 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 hock ...
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
who played in one
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) game with 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 ...
during the
2005–06 season. He currently runs his own goalie school, Massachusetts Crease Goaltending School,
[MassCrease Staff](_blank)
/ref> as well as being an assistant and goalie coach for the Brown Bears men's ice hockey
The Brown Bears men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Brown University. The Bears are a member of ECAC Hockey. They play at the Meehan Auditorium in Prov ...
team.
Playing career
As a youth, Eklund played in the 1994 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament
The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...
with a minor ice hockey
Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from cla ...
team from Hobomock in Pembroke, Massachusetts
Pembroke is a small historic town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Pembroke is a South Shore suburb of the Boston metropolitan area. The town is located about halfway between Boston and Cape Cod. The town is considered rural wi ...
.
After four seasons at Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
, Eklund signed a two-year rookie contract with 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 ...
. He was then assigned by the Lightning to the Pensacola Ice Pilots of the ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The E ...
. In his first season with the Ice Pilots (2002–03), he was the back up to Maxime Gingras. He played in 19 games and posted a 10–6–0 record with a 3.66 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage. When the Ice Pilots concluded their season after being eliminated in the playoffs, he was called up to the Springfield Falcons
The Springfield Falcons were a former ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center.
In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ar ...
of the AHL. He appeared in one game allowing only one goal and getting the win.
In the 2003–04 campaign, Gingras did not return to Pensacola leaving the #1 goalie slot open for contest. Eklund battled fellow Lightning prospect Evgeny Konstantinov
Yevgeni Valerievich Konstantinov (born March 29, 1981) is a Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender.
Konstantinov was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third round, 67th overall, of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He played in two NHL ...
for the #1 slot. He easily won the job. He appeared in all but 10 of the Ice Pilots' 72 regular-season games. This feat ranks second overall in the ECHL for games played in a season.[PDF showing ECHL Individual Regular Season Records](_blank)
As the top goalie, he shone even though the team lacked defense at times. He finished the season with a 38–17–7 record with a 3.01 GAA and a .921 SV%.
In 2004–05, Eklund spent the whole season with the Falcons, after signing a new one-year deal with the Lightning. He played 43 games going 14–23–0 with a 3.01 GAA and a .911 SV%. The team struggled that year notching only 24 wins in 80 games for a record of 24–53–3. Despite the teams struggles Brian was named team MVP.
In 2005–06, Eklund was the backup goalie behind both Jonathan Boutin
Jonathan Boutin (born March 28, 1985) is a Canadian-German professional ice hockey goaltender. He is currently playing for German DEL2 club, EC Bad Nauheim. He was originally drafted in the third round, 96th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in ...
and Gerald Coleman
Gerald Coleman (born April 3, 1985) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He predominantly played in the minor leagues, most notably with the Alaska Aces of ...
at different times of the season. He also played two games for the Johnstown Chiefs
The Johnstown Chiefs were a minor league ice hockey team located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that played in the ECHL. The team was founded in 1987 in the All-American Hockey League, and moved to the East Coast Hockey League (now "ECHL") when that ...
of the ECHL. This was, however, the season he was called up to the NHL to play his first and only NHL game. He allowed 3 goals and made 16 saves in 58 minutes of play. However, he lost the game. He was traded to the Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
of the NHL who then assigned him to their AHL team, the Providence Bruins
The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the primary development team for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rh ...
where he played 12 games going 3–6–1 with a 3.52 GAA and a .870 SV%.
Post-playing career
Eklund is currently the director of Newton Youth Hockey's Goaltending Focus with Brian Eklund.[Goaltending a Focus - Brian Eklund](_blank)
/ref> He has also started his own goaltending school, known as the Massachusetts Crease Goalie School. He also served as an assistant coach for his alma mater, Brown University.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
References
External links
*
MassCrease.com
A Massachusetts-based goaltending school taught by former NHL goalie Brian Eklund
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eklund, Brian
1980 births
Living people
American men's ice hockey goaltenders
Brown Bears men's ice hockey players
Ice hockey players from Massachusetts
Johnstown Chiefs players
Pensacola Ice Pilots players
Providence Bruins players
Springfield Falcons players
Sportspeople from Braintree, Massachusetts
Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks
Tampa Bay Lightning players