The King Of The Hip Check

Losing a player you once tried to emulate on the ice makes for a hard day. I was never a huge Winnipeg Jets fans as a kid, but I loved watching Bryan Marchment patrol the ice in the short time he was with the Jets thanks to his ability to throw an incredible hip check. He's the player where I first learned of that style of check, and he wasn't afraid to throw them anywhere on the ice if he saw an opportunity to swing the momentum in his team's favour. When the Jets traded him to Chicago, it was tough watching him dishing out thunderous hits as a Blackhawk. His passing today hurts even more as a fan as Bryan Marchment was just 53 years-old.

I never got to meet Marchment during his time with us, but he made quite a few stops in his NHL career. He went from Winnipeg to Chicago to Hartford to Edmonton where he was a fan favourite for his toughness as well. After four seasons in the Alberta capital, he was moved to Tampa Bay before he landed in San Jose where he spent the most time with one team as he skated six seasons for the Sharks. Stints with Colorado, Toronto, and Calgary closed out his career on the ice, but there's no denying that he was one of those defencemen where you had to keep your head on a swivel.

Joe Sakic found out that fact on November 7, 1991 as he cut into the open ice and ran directly into a perfectly-executed hip check!


He followed that hit up one month later on December 8, 1991 by upending Minnesota North Stars forward Brian Bellows in a big way!


Since his playing days, Marchment had been working as a scout for the San Jose Sharks and the San Jose Barracuda. Newly-hired GM Mike Grier was a former teammate of Marchment in Edmonton, and he highlighted how he respected Marchment for all the little things he did about which no one likely ever knew.

"It's a sad day for me personally, very sad day for our organization, our players, our staff," Grier told NHL.com. "Anyone who knew Bryan knew what type of man he was. He was just an honest, down to earth, loving person who just cared about everyone. He had time for everyone in the building, anyone he came across, he had time.

"He was great to me my first few years in Edmonton, treated me with respect right away and made me feel at home and if I ever needed anything whether it was a dinner, a home-cooked dinner, instead of eating out every day, he and Kim would have me over. It's a very difficult day."

While hockey fans will mourn the loss of a player who was popular in a number of cities, it's pretty clear that Marchment's friends, teammates, and, most of all, his family have lost an incredible man who was a big part of their lives. I can't imagine the heartbreak they feel today in finding out that Bryan passed away, and I hope they can find some peace once they have grieved Bryan's life. He was a good man who played the game in a tough way, but, as Grier made clear, his heart was his best asset.

Rest in peace, Bryan Marchment. You were one of my favourite players, and you're gone far too soon.

Until next time, raise your sticks high to honour Bryan Marchment!