Early Career in the WHL
McCabe began playing junior hockey with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1991-92. After one and a half seasons in Medicine Hat, he was traded to the Spokane Chiefs.
He completed the 1992-93 season with 60 points in 60 games split between the Tigers and Chiefs. Once drafted, he returned to the Chiefs in 1993-94 and put up a junior career-high 84 points in 64 games. In his fourth and final year of junior, he was traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings for the remaining 20 games of the 1994-95 season.
NHL Career
In 1995-96, McCabe began his NHL career with the Islanders. He recorded 23 points in his rookie season before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks midway through his third year (along with Todd Bertuzzi and a third-round draft pick in 1998, used to select Jarkko Ruutu) in exchange for Trevor Linden.
He played one-and-a-half seasons with the Canucks before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on the day of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft in a bid by Canucks general manager Brian Burke to draft Daniel and Henrik Sedin second and third overall, respectively.
On October 2, 2000, after a 6-goal, 25-point campaign with the Blackhawks in 1999-2000, McCabe was traded once again to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Alexander Karpovtsev and a fourth-round pick (Vladimir Gusev) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.
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As NHL play was suspended due to the 2004-05 lockout, McCabe signed with HV71 of the Swedish Elitserien. When NHL play resumed the following season, McCabe emerged with a career-high 19 goals, 49 assists and 68 points in 73 games with the Maple Leafs. He finished the season third overall in points among NHL defencemen, behind Nicklas Lidström and Sergei Zubov.
International Career
While in junior, McCabe was a member of three gold medal-winning Canadian teams, the first of which was at the 1992 Pacific Cup in Japan. The under-18 tournament was in just its second year of what is now known as the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
Internationally, McCabe competed for Canada, winning gold medals at the 1997 World Championships, 1994 and 1995 World Junior Championships and the 1992 Pacific Cup. at the 1994 and 1995 World Junior Championships. On December 21, 2005, McCabe was named as a reserve for Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Here's a summary of Bryan McCabe's international achievements:
| Tournament | Medal |
|---|---|
| 1997 World Championships | Gold |
| 1994 World Junior Championships | Gold |
| 1995 World Junior Championships | Gold |
| 1992 Pacific Cup | Gold |
Later Career and Post-Playing Days
On February 26, 2011, the Panthers traded McCabe to the Rangers for Tim Kennedy and a third-round draft pick. After retiring as a player, McCabe transitioned into a management role.
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On June 14, 2017, the Florida Panthers promoted Bryan McCabe to Director of Player Personnel.
NHL Remember Him Episode 43: Bryan McCabe
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