Fred Brathwaite facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fred Brathwaite |
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| Born | November 24, 1972 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | Edmonton Oilers Calgary Flames St. Louis Blues Columbus Blue Jackets Ak Bars Kazan Avangard Omsk Adler Mannheim |
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| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 1993–2014 | ||
Fredrick Brathwaite (born November 24, 1972) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He was a skilled goaltender, which is the player who defends the team's goal.
Fred played for several teams in the NHL, including the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, and Columbus Blue Jackets. After his time in the NHL, he played hockey overseas in Russia and Germany. In 2009, he was even named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the German hockey league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
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Fred's Hockey Journey as a Player
Fred Brathwaite started his hockey career playing junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Even though no team chose him in the NHL draft, the Edmonton Oilers signed him in 1993. He spent three seasons playing for the Oilers and their minor league team, the Cape Breton Oilers.
Playing in the Minor Leagues
From 1996 to 1998, Fred played for the Manitoba Moose in the International Hockey League (IHL). During his first season with the Moose, he did something very rare for a goalie: he scored a goal on November 9, 1996!
Time in the NHL
In 1998, Fred joined the Calgary Flames. He played in 28 games during his first NHL season. He stayed with the Flames for two more seasons. In 2001, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues, where he played as a backup goalie for two years.
After that, he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2003–04 season. He mostly backed up their main goalie, Marc Denis, and also spent some time with their minor league team, the Syracuse Crunch.
Playing Overseas
Because of a big player lockout in the NHL in 2004–05, Fred went to play in Russia for Ak Bars Kazan. He played there for two seasons before returning to North America to play for the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League (AHL).
After two seasons with the Wolves, Fred went back to Europe. He joined Adler Mannheim in Germany's top league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. In his first year in Germany, he played so well that he was named the league's MVP in 2009.
Fred's Coaching Career
After he stopped playing hockey, Fred became a coach. He worked as a goaltending coach for the German team Adler Mannheim. He also helped Hockey Canada as a consultant for goalies.
On July 10, 2017, the New York Islanders hired Fred as their goaltending coach. He worked with their goalies for about a year. Later, on January 17, 2021, he was hired as the goaltending coach for the Henderson Silver Knights. This team was just starting its first season.
A Surprise Return to the Ice
On April 24, 2021, something unexpected happened. The Silver Knights' starting goalie, Logan Thompson, couldn't play. So, at 48 years old, Fred Brathwaite actually dressed up as the backup goalie for the team!
Fred's Personal Life
Fred Brathwaite was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His parents moved to Canada from Barbados in 1964. He even appeared in a rap music video for the song "Welcome to Atlanta" by Jermaine Dupri. The scene was filmed at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
See also
