Bryan Bickell is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for over a decade. He was born on March 9, 1986, in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. Bickell began his hockey career playing for the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2002. He was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
Bickell made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks in the 2006-2007 season. He played in 10 games that season and scored his first NHL goal on December 28, 2006, against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Bickell spent the majority of his first few seasons in the NHL playing for the Blackhawks' minor league affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
Bickell became a regular player for the Blackhawks in the 2010-2011 season. He played in all 82 games that season and scored 17 goals and 20 assists. Bickell was a key player for the Blackhawks during their Stanley Cup championship run in the 2012-2013 season. He scored nine goals and eight assists in 23 playoff games, including the game-tying goal in the final minutes of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins. The Blackhawks went on to win the Stanley Cup in overtime of that game.
Bickell continued to play for the Blackhawks until the 2016-2017 season. He was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in June 2016, along with Teuvo Teravainen, in exchange for a second-round draft pick. Bickell played in just 11 games for the Hurricanes before being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in November 2016. He announced his retirement from professional hockey in April 2017.
Throughout his career, Bickell was known for his physical play and his ability to score clutch goals in important games. He finished his NHL career with 136 goals and 147 assists in 395 regular-season games. Bickell also played in 75 playoff games, scoring 20 goals and 19 assists.
Off the ice, Bickell was known for his charitable work. He and his wife, Amanda, founded the Bryan and Amanda Bickell Foundation in 2011 to support pit bull rescue and advocacy. The foundation also supports MS research and provides assistance to families affected by the disease.
In 2017, Bickell was honored by the Blackhawks with "One More Shift," a pregame ceremony in which he skated onto the ice in full uniform and was cheered by the crowd at the United Center. Bickell's number 29 was not retired by the Blackhawks, but it has not been worn by any player since his retirement.
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