Brent Peterson facts for kids

Brent Ronald Peterson (born February 15, 1958) is a Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. He played for 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was known as a strong defensive player who didn't score many goals. Brent was also a longtime assistant coach for the Nashville Predators. He retired in 2011 because of his health. Today, Peterson works as an advisor for the Predators team.

Brent is the brother of Greg Peterson, who played for the Calgary Stampeders in Canadian football.

Playing Career

Brent Peterson had a great junior hockey career with the Portland Winter Hawks. In 1978, the Detroit Red Wings picked him 12th overall in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. He made the Red Wings' NHL team right away. Sadly, his first season ended after only 5 games because he broke his leg.

After recovering, he spent most of the 1979–80 season playing in a minor league. However, he did play 18 games for Detroit and scored his first NHL goal. In the 1980–81 season, he became a regular player in the NHL. He scored 6 goals and had 24 points in 53 games.

Early in the 1981–82 season, Peterson was traded to the Buffalo Sabres. This was a big trade involving six players. In Buffalo, he became a key player on one of the best "checking lines" in the league. A checking line focuses on stopping the other team's top players. He played alongside Craig Ramsay and Ric Seiling. In the 1982–83 season, he had his best year, scoring 13 goals and 24 assists for 37 points. He was also excellent at "penalty killing" (playing with fewer players when someone is in the penalty box) and winning "face-offs" (when two players try to gain control of the puck at the start of play).

After four years with the Sabres, the Vancouver Canucks picked Peterson in the 1985 NHL Waiver Draft. In the 1985–86 season, he scored 9 goals and had 22 assists for 31 points with the Canucks. He also scored a career-high 3 "shorthanded goals," which means scoring a goal when his team had fewer players on the ice. His arrival helped the Canucks allow 68 fewer goals than the year before. In the 1986–87 season, Peterson played 69 games, scoring 7 goals and 15 assists for 22 points.

Before the 1987–88 season, the Hartford Whalers picked Peterson in another waiver draft. This season was his toughest, as he only scored 2 goals and had 9 points in 52 games. He played better in the 1988–89 season, scoring 4 goals and 17 points in 66 games. He also led the top penalty-kill unit with Dave Tippett. After this season, he decided to retire from playing to become a coach for the Whalers.

Brent Peterson finished his NHL playing career with 72 goals and 141 assists, totaling 213 points in 620 games. He also had 484 penalty minutes. In 31 playoff games, he added 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Peterson became an assistant coach for the Hartford Whalers for two seasons. When the head coach was fired in 1991, Peterson went back to the Portland Winter Hawks, his old junior team, to become their head coach. In Portland, he became one of the best coaches in Canadian junior hockey. He led the team to win three division titles in seven years.

His time with the Winter Hawks ended with an amazing 1997–98 season. The team had a record of 53 wins, 14 losses, and 5 ties. They won the WHL Championship and then the Memorial Cup. The Memorial Cup is awarded to the top team in Canadian junior hockey.

After winning the Memorial Cup in 1998, Peterson returned to the NHL. He became an associate coach for the new Nashville Predators team, working with head coach Barry Trotz. He stayed with the Predators as a coach until 2011. Other NHL teams considered him for head coaching jobs, but he remained in Nashville.

Personal Life

Brent Peterson is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2004, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and Honors