Bryan Fogarty

Personal life

Born in Montreal, Quebec to parents Tom and Virginia, Fogarty was youngest of five. He had two sisters, Lynn and Lori, as well as two brothers, Glen and Patrick. Lori died of cancer at 38.

Fogarty grew up in Brantford, Ontario, the same city that Wayne Gretzky had grown up in. Fogarty's talent was apparent right away. Brantford Minor Hockey Association coordinator Bob Coyne told reporters that "he was a star. From the time he put skates on, he was better than everyone else. "We had seen Wayne (Gretzky). Wayne had to work at it. His game was outsmarting everybody else. Fogarty's game was outperforming everybody else. That's like comparing a Volkswagen to a Corvette."

Growing up, Fogarty listened to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, sported a mullet and loved to hang out with his friends. Bryan started drinking at an early age. When he was 15 he was already playing with players who were much older than he was because of his exceptional skill level. He would frequent bars and strip clubs with the older players. During his junior hockey days in the OHL he'd take Niagara Falls Thunder coach Bill Laforge aside in the locker room and ask him in a whisper if his teammates hated him. During his time with the Kingston Canadians he was known as "Tippy" because, according to teammate Marc Laforge "he was always tipsy".

During his NHL days, he sought help on numerous occasions. The Nordiques knew about his drinking problem and tried to help him by sending him to an alcohol rehab clinic in Minnesota, providing a psychologist, and housing him with a family in Quebec City. They roomed him with another hockey player who was looking to straighten out his life: John Kordic. Fogarty and Kordic met in a rehab center and became friends immediately. In the fall and winter of 1991, Fogarty stayed clean with the help of Kordic. However, in January 1992, Kordic began using drugs again and died of a heart attack in August of that year. Quebec wound up trading away Fogarty to Pittsburgh. Pierre Pagé, who was the Nordiques general manager at the time promised Fogarty he would trade him if he could stay sober for three months. He lasted 12 games with the Penguins, who were unhappy with Fogarty's lack of conditioning.

This scenario would repeat itself many times over the next five years with the Montreal Canadiens and non-NHL clubs. In 1999 Fogarty was arrested and charged with drug possession after a break-in at a school in his hometown of Brantford. Fogarty was charged with break and enter and possession of a controlled substance. According to the police report, Fogarty broke open the kitchen doors at the Tollgate Technological Skills Centre and was found standing naked in the kitchen with cooking oil spilled on the floor around him. He was granted a conditional discharge, placed on probation for one year, and was ordered to donate $500 to a local addiction service after he pleaded guilty to one count of mischief. After retiring in 2001, Fogarty remained clean and sober for more than a year. He returned to Brantford to take over the family business, Fogarty's Mobile Canteen.

Playing career

Bryan Fogarty was an OHL superstar in the late 1980s. He was chosen 1st overall in the 1985 OHL draft by Ken Slater of the Kingston Canadians ahead of future NHLers Adam Graves (6th), Bryan Marchment (12th), Brendan Shanahan (13th), and Jody Hull (14th). Scouts heaped praise upon Fogarty for his hockey sense and puck control. Combined with his 6'2" 205 pound frame, Fogarty's skills made him one of the best junior players in Canadian hockey history.

In 1989 after breaking Bobby Orr's 23-year-old record for goals (38) by a defenceman in a season and Cam Plante's Canadian junior record for points (140) in a season by a defenceman with 155 in 60 games with the Niagara Falls Thunder, he was named Canadian Major Junior Hockey Player of the Year in 1989. Both records still stand. As does his single game record for most assists by a defenceman (8), which he accomplished twice in the same season (1988–89).

Fogarty was drafted ninth overall by the Nordiques in 1987, six spots before Joe Sakic. He lasted parts of three seasons in Quebec, then he was traded to Pittsburgh, then Chicago. He signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent, then was signed by Montreal, Buffalo and Chicago (again).

He also spent a fair amount of time in the minors, playing in Halifax, New Haven, Muskegon, Cleveland, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Minnesota, Detroit, Davos, Milan and Hanover. In 1999 Fogarty attempted a much-publicized comeback with the Toronto Maple Leafs AHL affiliate the St. John's Maple Leafs. He lasted 3 regular season games with them before being released. In all he played nine seasons of pro hockey in seven leagues for 17 teams, retiring in 2001.

Fogarty does maintain the distinction of recording the last natural hat trick in Quebec Nordiques franchise history when he scored three straight goals on December 1, 1990 in a 4-2 home win over the Buffalo Sabres. He was the first Nordiques defenseman to record a hat trick.

Death

Forgarty died in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on March 6, 2002. Bryan and his wife Jennifer's uncle, Thomas Branch, were staying at a motel called the Compass Cove. Bryan was in Room 1223.

Fogarty was on vacation to do some deep sea fishing. He and Branch arrived on the morning of March 5. After checking in, they went right to the bar, where they spent most of the day drinking. The next morning, Branch was unable to wake Fogarty. Branch then called EMS. Fogarty was transported to the Grand Strand Regional Center where he was pronounced dead shortly after. The coroner reported that Fogarty died of from an enlarged heart. He is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brantford.

Awards

Records

Quotes about Bryan Fogarty

"He had everything. He could skate like the wind. He could see anybody on the ice. He could make the perfect pass. He was as talented as anybody I've seen in junior hockey. He broke all of Bobby Orr's records. Everybody was telling me you can't go wrong with him." - Maurice Filion, former Quebec GM, who drafted Bryan Fogarty with the Nordiques' first pick in 1987, six picks ahead of Quebec's second selection, Joe Sakic.

"He needed the beer, but it was his demise. The profession, the lifestyle -- he couldn't handle it. He wanted the hockey, but it was so hard the way he was. The inside of Bryan and the world around him didn't seem to meet." - Virginia Fogarty (Bryan's mother)

"Mats Sundin told me this: 'Bryan Fogarty could skate faster, shoot harder and pass crisper drunk than the rest of us could sober.'" - Max Offenberger

"He was the best player I have ever seen. He had a heart of gold. He'd never hurt a fly. He'd do anything for you. He just couldn't help himself." - Marc Laforge

Dave Bidini's song "The Land is Wild", released as the title track of the Bidiniband's debut release in June 2009, tells the life story of Fogarty.