I first met Mel in Grade 9 in 1969 in Victoria. He sat down beside me in French class. Little did I know that it would be the start of a friendship that would last over 55 years. We were very different in many ways but similar in others. He was a good student but an even better hockey player. I was a better student but a much, much worse hockey player. Mel had thick Coke bottle bottom glasses. I think he looked more like a nerd that year than even I did. He was a new kid - just having moved from Trenton that summer. My family had moved from Winnipeg two years before - so I kind of knew what he felt like. It seemed that everyone else had lived in Victoria for their whole lives. Mainly because they had. We were never best friends. But somehow our lives intertwined and we managed to find some common ground that formed the basis of a strong friendship over the years.
Along with many others I shared their pride in his hockey success. Phil Uhlmann and I even braved Queens Park Arena to watch the Cougars play against the big bad New Westminster Bruins during the 1975 Western Division Finals. We were smart enough not to make the slightest suggestion to those around us that we were cheering for the Cougars that night. Queens Park was a tough and very loyal home team arena. The Cougars lost that game and eventually the series to the Bruins ending the Cougars' chance to play in the Memorial Cup that year. It brought the Cougars' fairy tale season to an end. Regardless all of Mel's Mr. Doug buddies were as proud as could be when he was selected first overall later that summer in the 1975 NHL draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. We knew he was destined for great things.
His girlfriend at the time lived on the same street as me and as a result I saw him drive by the last night he was in Victoria before he left for training camp in Philadelphia. He pulled his old beater Mazda over, got out and we talked an hour about the future. And what a future we both had. His was a little more well known than mine. Well let's face it - a lot more well known. But that never really mattered to me - and it certainly did not matter to Mel. That was never what Mel was all about. If you were his friend - you were his friend.
Over the next number of years, at the start of hockey season we would check the Canucks schedule to figure out when the Flyers would be in Vancouver to play the Canucks. Then try to get tickets for the game. They were the Stanley Cup Champions in 1974 and 1975 - so they were a popular - or rather well known - team. So it wasn't an easy task as we were not exactly flush with money. Tickets cost almost $10 after all!!! Regardless we managed to get to virtually every Flyers game in Vancouver. We would wait down by the dressing room - which you could do in those days - to talk to Mel after the game. If they were spending the night we usually went out with Mel until curfew. We had a couple of memorable nights. One night about six of us ended up at Gary Taylor's night club with Mel. We fudged our way to the front of the line up by pretending to be Mel's teammates. I suspect the bouncer knew exactly what was going on but as Mel was actually a Flyer we were waved on in.
On another night Mel took well over an hour to come out of the dressing room. We were wondering what was going on. He finally sheepishly came out. We asked him what was up. He was embarrassed because he had a tangle with Thomas Gradin who was a popular Canuck - and who was not known for his fisticuffs. Mel assumed we would be mad at him for picking on Gradin and would not want to meet up with him. The thought had never entered our minds!!
We received a phone call from Mel when we were still at UBC. It was during the hockey season and he was at the Vancouver airport on his way to Victoria. He asked if we could meet him at the airport during his layover. Phil and I were excited. We thought maybe he had been traded to the Canucks. When we got to the airport he told us the sad news that his brother Dick had died suddenly in Victoria. We spent the next hour or so trying to help him navigate his way through this tragedy. It was the first time we had ever had to deal with the death of a friend or a sibling of a friend. I am not too sure that we were the best equipped duo to help in the situation. But it meant a lot to us that he had thought of us in his time of need and reached out to us.
I searched around for some pictures of Mel to share on this Memorial page. Unfortunately when we were younger cel phones were unheard of. A phone with a camera function was science fictionish. So we don't have that many pictures of our escapades from the day. A little awkward to carry around your Kodak Instamatic. The only decent pictures I have are from Karen's and my wedding. We had a built in photographer that day. The first two pictures are of the "tossing of the garter". Notice who is front and centre in the picture. The third picture is of Mel and Ann. This is before they were married. Note the garter in Mel's left hand (it might not be that clear as it is a picture of a picture - but it is there). Elbows up apparently works in the scrum of a garter toss as well.
We would catch up in the summers over the years - but not every year. He and Ann stayed at our place in Kamloops at the end of the hockey year for a few days on their way home from Calgary once. Early on we would get together in Victoria with our kids if we were both passing through Victoria at the same time.
As some of you might know, Mel played his last professional hockey as a Canuck in 1989. He had played in Switzerland that year with the plan of retiring after. He finished up the season early. The Canucks were heading to the playoffs and came calling. Being from BC it was a no brainer. Unfortunately Joel Otto of the Flames scored in overtime in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs to end Mel's pro playing career. Mel came through Kamloops at some point that summer and we had a chance to talk about the future. He was thinking of what he was going to do after hockey. Why " after hockey" I asked. I mentioned to him that he had spent most of his life in the game and he had a wealth of experience. With his education as well there had to be a place for him in hockey. I am sure that many others talked to him along the same lines during that period.
In the summer of 1991, I got a call out of the blue from Mel. I will always remember that day. We were out at our cabin at Shuswap Lake. I don't know exactly how Mel got my number. Again, no cel phones in those days. Luckily we had a land line out there. Mel said he was negotiating a contract to be the first GM of the Ottawa Senators. This was a huge surprise to me. My first words were "why are you calling me. I am a million miles away from the hockey world". He answered that the Senators really wanted to keep things quiet until they were ready to make the announcement. This would be easier to accomplish with a lawyer who was way out of the loop. I was honoured that he would take a risk on me given I had no hands on experience with a transaction of this nature. That was Mel. He was loyal to his friends. He knew that I was a huge hockey fan and would love to be involved. I am proud that I was able to protect his interests with that contract. It remains one of the highlights of my legal career.
Following the Senators, Mel started acting as a player agent. He was very experienced in hockey matters and contractual negotiations. He had been the head of the NHL Players Association while he was still a player. This shows the esteem with which he was held by his fellow players. He also had his MBA from the Wharton School of Business - a major U.S. business school. He acted for a number of Kamloops Blazers in those first years and he often stayed at our house when he was coming through the interior of BC scouting and meeting junior hockey players. I would usually hear from Mel about an hour before he got to Kamloops. Again, cel phones were not really a thing at that time. Mel would stop in Merritt, which is about an hour from Kamloops, use a pay phone and let me know he was on his way. An hour or so later he would pull up in his car - which was piled up with several days worth of hamburger wrappers, pop cans and used coffee cups. I didn't know it before then but I guess Mel was famous for his road trips. He would just jump in his car and get going. He was known to be a bit on the frugal side as well.
Our son Corey played hockey for a term for a college in Utah in 2007. They had a road trip to LA during the season. I cannot remember how Mel found out that Corey was playing but he called me to get Corey's cel phone number. Cel phones were a thing by that time. He made it a point to call Corey and arrange to meet him at his game. Ironically it turned out that Corey, who was a goalie, was suspended the night before the game he was supposed to meet up with Mel. He had a bit of an altercation with a player in his crease and "apparently" hit the guy with his blocker. The only time I can remember Corey getting suspended - in hockey. Corey called Mel and told him that he wouldn't be playing so Mel didn't need to waste his time coming out to the game. Mel told him that he would come anyway. It would give them a better chance to catch up. I don't really know what they talked about that day - but I know that it meant a lot to Corey that Mel took the time to come and see him. He knew Mel, but hadn't seen him for a number of years. Again, that was Mel.
The last time I saw Mel was when I was in Victoria for the funeral of a mutual friend of ours. Mel came up from the U.S. for the funeral. Mel had been at our 40th Mt. Doug high school reunion two years before as well. We didn't see a lot of each other over the past 20 years but there were a few get togethers like these, plus we would keep in touch - mostly by email. Mel never seemed to be that good with phone calls with me for some reason. I last touched bases with him - via email - two years ago, before our 50th Mt. Doug reunion in 2023. I tried to persuade him to come to the reunion but he had made some other travel plans . I thought of sending him an email this past summer - but it didn't happen. These things happen when you get older - but it is times like this that remind you how important it is to keep in touch with old friends.
Karen and I send our heartfelt condolences to the Bridgman family. We hope that these memories help to let you know how much Mel meant to his friends. We know that Mel was very proud of his children and grandchildren. When we were together he would ask me about our two sons and then give me an update on his children. He was a fierce competitor who made his mark in the NHL over 14 years even though he was not the most natural or gifted skater. Over the years when someone asked me about Mel I would say that his greatest skill was his drive. You cannot teach a player to have drive. Mel had it - in spades. He made it when others that were definitely more talented were not able to do so. He was intelligent - very intelligent. He was the kind of guy that would surprise you with his knowledge of certain topics. He had a great sense of humour and I will always remember his smile and his laugh. I will always remember him as a good friend and a great person.
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