Former New Jersey Devils captain and 14-year NHL veteran Mel Bridgman passed away on Saturday at the age of 70.
Bridgman, a former No. 1 overall pick drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers back in 1975, joined the Devils after seven years in Philadelphia and a pitstop in Calgary, helping usher the nascent Devils franchise into relevance.
The 6-foot forward spent parts of four seasons in New Jersey - three of which were among the four most productive seasons of his career offensively - scoring a very respectable 76 goals, 148 assists, and 224 points in 288 games on Devils teams that were mostly young and bad.