Brian Spencer
Encyclopedia
Brian Roy "Spinner" Spencer (September 3, 1949 in Fort St. James, British Columbia
– June 3, 1988 in Riviera Beach, Florida
) was a Canadian Professional ice hockey
player who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League
for the Buffalo Sabres
, Toronto Maple Leafs
, New York Islanders
and the Pittsburgh Penguins
.
in the 1969 NHL Entry Draft. On December 12, 1970, when he was called up to play with the Leafs in what would be his first NHL game on television, he called his father Roy Spencer in British Columbia
to tell him to watch the game that night on Hockey Night in Canada
. Spencer was to be interviewed between periods of the game. However, a game featuring the Vancouver Canucks
versus the California Golden Seals
was aired instead of the Maple Leafs versus the Chicago Blackhawks
. Infuriated, Roy Spencer drove 135 kilometres (83.9 mi) to Prince George
, where the closest CBC Television
station, CKPG-TV
, is located. When he arrived he ordered them at gunpoint to broadcast the Maple Leafs game instead. The station complied but as Roy Spencer left the station he was confronted by the RCMP
. After a brief stand-off Roy Spencer was shot and killed.
After a few seasons with Toronto and the New York Islanders
, Spencer was acquired by the Buffalo Sabres
. Spencer had his best offensive production in a Sabres uniform when he scored 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 1974–75. Spencer played well in Buffalo
and was extremely popular with the fans at Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium
. His hustle, aggressive play, and hitting ability was something the fans admired. Spencer developed into a solid two-way player. He would however be dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins
in September 1977.
His offensive production fell as he took on the role of a checking forward with the Penguins. Spencer's last NHL season came in 1978–79 when he played 7 games for Pittsburgh. He then finished his playing career in the AHL
(Binghamton, Springfield and Hershey) and retired after the 1979–80 season.
and placed the shell of a 1972 Dodge
van and hood of a Mack Truck atop. The dashboard was taken from a DC-3 cockpit, and all the gauges were functional. Brian also had a small black-and-white television monitor in the dashboard, which was connected to cameras in the back "sleeping" area of the Hulk. The hood ornament was a horse's jawbone.
and violence. In 1987 he was charged with kidnapping
and murder
and faced the death penalty. Family and friends, including ex-teammates gathered around him and tried to help him through those rough times. The lead attorney in the case was Barry A. Weinstein and the lead investigator was Leon Wright. Both men were members of the capital division of the Office of the Public Defender of Palm Beach County and in their years at the public defender's office, they had never lost a client to the death penalty. A former teammate from the Buffalo Sabres, Rick Martin
, tried to help by testifying as a character witness at his trial. The jury
deliberated and ruled with a not guilty verdict in March 1988 and Spencer vowed to change his life. However, despite the acquittal and a move to Florida
, Spencer's life continued to spiral out of control. In almost a similar manner to how his father's life ended, Spencer's life would end the same way three months later: shot and killed at gunpoint, this time in a robbery following a crack cocaine
purchase in Riviera Beach, Florida
, with his friend Gregory Scott Cook at his side.
Spencer is survived by five children from two different marriages and his twin brother, Byron.
A book on Brian's life Gross Misconduct: The life of Spinner Spencer, written by Martin O'Malley
, was adapted in 1993 by Atom Egoyan
into a made-for-television film in Canada, Gross Misconduct.
Fort St. James, British Columbia
Fort St. James is a district municipality and former fur trading post in north-central British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the south-eastern shore of Stuart Lake in the Omineca Country, at the northern terminus of Highway 27, which connects to Highway 16 at Vanderhoof...
– June 3, 1988 in Riviera Beach, Florida
Riviera Beach, Florida
Riviera Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, U.S.A. which was incorporated September 29, 1922. Because of where its eastern boundary lies, it is also the easternmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. The population was 29,884 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the...
) was a Canadian Professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
for the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
, Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
.
Career
Brian Spencer was drafted in the 5th Round, 55th overall by the Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the 1969 NHL Entry Draft. On December 12, 1970, when he was called up to play with the Leafs in what would be his first NHL game on television, he called his father Roy Spencer in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to tell him to watch the game that night on Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
. Spencer was to be interviewed between periods of the game. However, a game featuring the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
versus the California Golden Seals
California Golden Seals
The California Golden Seals were a team in the National Hockey League from 1967–76. Initially named California Seals, the team was renamed Oakland Seals part-way through the 1967–68 season, and then to California Golden Seals in 1970. The Seals were one of six teams added to the league as part of...
was aired instead of the Maple Leafs versus the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
. Infuriated, Roy Spencer drove 135 kilometres (83.9 mi) to Prince George
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
, where the closest CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
station, CKPG-TV
CKPG-TV
CKPG-TV is a television station in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. It is owned by Jim Pattison Group, and operates on VHF channel 2 and cable channel 3...
, is located. When he arrived he ordered them at gunpoint to broadcast the Maple Leafs game instead. The station complied but as Roy Spencer left the station he was confronted by the RCMP
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
. After a brief stand-off Roy Spencer was shot and killed.
After a few seasons with Toronto and the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Spencer was acquired by the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
. Spencer had his best offensive production in a Sabres uniform when he scored 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 1974–75. Spencer played well in Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and was extremely popular with the fans at Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium
Memorial Auditorium
Memorial Auditorium may refer to:* Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York* Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex , Kitchener, Ontario* Memorial Auditorium , California...
. His hustle, aggressive play, and hitting ability was something the fans admired. Spencer developed into a solid two-way player. He would however be dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
in September 1977.
His offensive production fell as he took on the role of a checking forward with the Penguins. Spencer's last NHL season came in 1978–79 when he played 7 games for Pittsburgh. He then finished his playing career in the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
(Binghamton, Springfield and Hershey) and retired after the 1979–80 season.
Off The Ice
While off the ice Spencer was often found working on his vehicle, dubbed "The Hulk". He began with a 2½ ton Army convoy truck and removed the body. Next, Spencer installed a 651 Cummins diesel engineDiesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
and placed the shell of a 1972 Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
van and hood of a Mack Truck atop. The dashboard was taken from a DC-3 cockpit, and all the gauges were functional. Brian also had a small black-and-white television monitor in the dashboard, which was connected to cameras in the back "sleeping" area of the Hulk. The hood ornament was a horse's jawbone.
Death
After hockey, Spencer ran into some rough times. He submersed himself into a life of drugsDRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
and violence. In 1987 he was charged with kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and faced the death penalty. Family and friends, including ex-teammates gathered around him and tried to help him through those rough times. The lead attorney in the case was Barry A. Weinstein and the lead investigator was Leon Wright. Both men were members of the capital division of the Office of the Public Defender of Palm Beach County and in their years at the public defender's office, they had never lost a client to the death penalty. A former teammate from the Buffalo Sabres, Rick Martin
Rick Martin
Richard Lionel Martin was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings for 11 seasons between 1971 and 1982...
, tried to help by testifying as a character witness at his trial. The jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
deliberated and ruled with a not guilty verdict in March 1988 and Spencer vowed to change his life. However, despite the acquittal and a move to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Spencer's life continued to spiral out of control. In almost a similar manner to how his father's life ended, Spencer's life would end the same way three months later: shot and killed at gunpoint, this time in a robbery following a crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
purchase in Riviera Beach, Florida
Riviera Beach, Florida
Riviera Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, U.S.A. which was incorporated September 29, 1922. Because of where its eastern boundary lies, it is also the easternmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. The population was 29,884 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the...
, with his friend Gregory Scott Cook at his side.
Spencer is survived by five children from two different marriages and his twin brother, Byron.
A book on Brian's life Gross Misconduct: The life of Spinner Spencer, written by Martin O'Malley
Martin O'Malley (journalist)
Martin O'Malley is a Canadian journalist. He currently writes for CBC News and The Globe and Mail, and is perhaps best known for coining the line about homosexuality that Pierre Trudeau later made famous: "The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation".He has written the following...
, was adapted in 1993 by Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan, OC is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian stage director and film director. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica...
into a made-for-television film in Canada, Gross Misconduct.
External links
- Brian Spencer's profile at hockeydb.com
- Brian Spencer page at Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association
- IMDB page for "Gross Misconduct" (1993) - a Canadian TV movie based on Spencer's life
Additional references
- Players:The Ultimate A-Z Guide of Everyone Who Has Ever Played in the NHL by Andrew PodnieksAndrew PodnieksAndrew Podnieks is a Canadian author and ice hockey historian. He's of a Latvian descent. He has written more than 45 books about hockey. Additionally, he has contributed extensively to international hockey research at the International Ice Hockey Federation, the Hockey Hall of Fame, Hockey Canada,...
, ISBN 0-385-25999-9 - Penguin's Profiles: Pittsburgh's Boys of Winter. O'Brien, James P. 1994, Retrieved 17 Nov. 2006.