Bryan Berard

Bryan Wallace Berard (born March 5, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman.

and won the OHL Championship with the team in the 1994–95 season and made the league's first all-star team.

He was also named the league's rookie of the year, only the third defenceman to win the trophy.

Berard was the first overall pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators.

He is most noted for a debilitating eye injury he received early in his career.

Berard underwent several operations, and played 619 games in his NHL career despite the seriousness of the injury.

Berard was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

He began his junior career playing for Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island.

He won three championships with the school before departing after his third year.

Berard had offers from Boston College, the University of Maine, and the University of Michigan, but chose to go the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

Berard was drafted by the Detroit Junior Red Wings of the OHL.

Berard was drafted first overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.

As the first overall pick, and with the Senators blue line among the weaker in the league, Berard anticipated going straight to the National Hockey League.

However, after his first training camp with the team, he was returned to junior hockey.

Concerned about his development, Berard requested a trade.

In January 1996, the Senators sent him to the New York Islanders in a trade that saw his rights, along with those of Wade Redden, Martin Straka, Don Beaupre, and Damian Rhodes move between the teams.

Berard joined the Islanders for 1996–97 season and made an immediate impact.

With 48 points in his rookie season, he led all defensemen on the team, and finished ninth league-wide in scoring amongst defensemen.

He was rewarded for his efforts by winning the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the NHL, edging out Jarome Iginla.

He also played for the United States in the 1998 Winter Olympics.

The team finished sixth.

After three years with the Islanders, the team was concerned with his ability to play defense and were in search of a proven goaltender.

The Islanders traded Berard to the Toronto Maple Leafs for goaltender Félix Potvin in January 1999.

Berard put up 19 points in 38 games with the Maple Leafs, and played 17 more contests in the postseason.

In his second year with the club, he had 30 points in 64 games when on March 11, 2000, during a game against the Senators in Ottawa, The Stick of the Senators' Marián Hossa clipped Berard in the right eye on a follow through.

The eye was severely slashed on the sclera which resulted in a retinal tear and a detached retina.

In the hospital after the incident, after being told he might lose his eye, Berard reportedly told his friends that he would play hockey again.

Despite that optimism, he received a $6.5 million settlement from his insurance company, for what many considered to be a career-ending injury.

Berard missed the 2000–01 season and underwent seven eye operations, improving his vision in the eye to 20/600.

He started working out again in April 2001 and started skating again months thereafter.

Berard was later fitted with a contact lens that allowed him to meet the league's minimum vision requirement of 20/400.

He became an unrestricted free agent in 2001.

When it became apparent that he might play again, the Maple Leafs stated they were interested in his services, but Berard opted to play for a team that was currently rebuilding and was a bit closer to his home of Woonsocket.

Upon signing a tryout contract with the New York Rangers, he returned his insurance settlement and risked a comeback to the NHL.

He played well enough that his tryout contract turned into a $2 million contract for the 2001–02 season, plus two one-year options that could have turned it into a $9.75 million pact.

However, his option was not exercised by the Rangers after a disappointing season where he only scored 2 goals and 23 points despite playing in all 82 games for the Rangers.

Berard then inked a one-year deal with an option for a second year to join the Boston Bruins.

With Boston, Berard began to return to his pre-injury form posting ten goals and 38 points, his highest total since his second year in the league.

Despite his success, the Bruins balked when an arbitrator awarded Berard a $2.51 million contract and they walked away from the ruling, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Chicago Blackhawks offered him a $2.01 million deal and signed him to a one-year contract.